Incorporating technology and craft, design collective Hive produces playfully elegant lighting and accessories. Standouts include:

- The Halo series by award-winning Hive creative director and designer Kenneth Cobonpue, made of nylon monofilament and a powdercoated metal frame
- The Moon Hanging Lamp, also by Cobonpue, made of paper pulp fiber and a fiberglass frame, and
- The Lux Hanging Lamp, designed by Joseph Laxina, for which fish scales are woven inside an acrylic glass cube.

To learn more about Hive, visit h-i-v-e.com.

*All images courtesy of Hive.

Designed to be the world’s most affordable car, the Tato Nano was unveiled last year in India by Tata Motors, India’s biggest car manufacturer. Next month, it makes its debut at New York’s Cooper-Hewitt.

Targeted toward families previously unable to buy a car, the base model Tato Nano starts at $2,200 and can seat up to five adults. It’s intended as a safer, all-weather transportation alternative to the two-wheelers (motorbikes and scooters) so pervasive in India.

The four-door Nano is about 10 feet long, weighs 1,300 pounds, has an all-sheet-metal body, a rear two-cylinder engine, small tubeless tires, and a reinforced passenger. It gets 50 miles per gallon, and can go as fast as 65 miles per hour. To allay concerns about safety, the car passed a roll-over test and offset impact, which are not regulated in India. Nano versions for the European and American markets are under development.

Running from February 18th through April 25th, a sunshine yellow Tato Nano will be on display at the Cooper-Hewitt, along with diagrams and a short film describing its concept and production. According to Cara McCarty, curatorial director of the museum, ““Cooper-Hewitt’s mission is to present the very latest developments in design and technology and the Tata Nano introduces more families in India to the new world of affordable and safer mobility.”

For more information, visit CooperHewitt.org.

*Images courtesy of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Once again celebrating the art of fashion, Belgian designer Tim Van Steenbergen‘s subtle but beautiful Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 Men’s Collection was inspired by Argentinean artist Lucio Fontana. With one bold stroke, Fontana pierced canvas and tore it, driving it out of the pictorial realm. With this dramatic concept in mind, Van Steenbergen’s latest collection features slashed front panels and frayed figures. Set to a remake of singer Glen Campbell‘s song, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” Van Steenbergen’s lines, cording, zippers, detailed raw cut finishing and material combinations channel Fontana’s energy for the modern urban male. The designer completes the collection with a new series of sunglasses – Theo by Tim Van Steenbergen – and a series of shoes – Tim Van Steenbergen – handmade by Ambiorix.

For more information, visit timvansteenbergen.com.

*Images courtesy of Tim Van Steenbergen; photographs by Tomas Vandecasteele.

New York-based, Moroccan-born artist Lalla Essaydi’s newest series – “Les Femmes du Maroc” – considers the complex nature of Arab feminine identity, and the concept of past and present. Drawing inspiration from iconic 19th-century American and European Orientalist paintings, Essaydi recreates these images (minus the male figures and decorative details), carefully posing Moroccan women and draping them in white fabric. Using henna, she paints in Arabic calligraphic script the writings from her personal journal, covering every surface – women’s skin, fabric, walls and floors.

The combination of henna and calligraphy is particularly provocative, as until recently in the Middle East, calligraphy was an art form practiced exclusively by men for the transcription of sacred texts, while henna is traditionally a woman’s art that marks ritual moments in female life. Says Essaydi, “In my art, I wish to present myself through multiple lenses – as artist, as Moroccan, as Saudi, as traditionalist, as Liberal, as Muslim. In short, I invited viewers to resist stereotypes.”

Notably, Essaydi’s “Grande Odalisque” (at top, inspired by the eponymous Ingres masterpiece) was just purchased by the Louvre. And if you’re in the New York area, you can see them face-to-face as well: the series will be on display at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers from January 30th to June 6th.

*From top: “Les Femmes du Maroc: Grand Odalisque,” 2008 (Chromogenic print mounted to aluminum, ed. 10, 48 x 60 inches); “Les Femmes du Maroc #38,” 2006 (Chromogenic print mounted to aluminum, ed. 10, 60 x 48 inches); and “Les Femmes du Maroc #20,” 2005 (Chromogenic print mounted to aluminum, ed. 15, 40 x 30 inches).

All images lent by the artist, courtesy of the Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York, New York and the Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts.

The Design of Dissent, an exhibition curated by design legends Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic, opens February 3rd at The Gallery I Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. Based on the pair’s popular 2005 book by the same name, the exhibition considers the role of designers in reflecting the events of their times, and specifically in identifying and speaking out against political and social injustices.

As the pair’s statement reads:

“Graphic designers spend a good deal of their time persuading people to buy things, visit events, or to follow trends because they supposedly understand the nature of persuasion. Many of us feel that this skill can be applied to more significant purposes, such as commenting on the events of our time. Speaking out against tyranny has been one of the political roles that graphic artists have embraced throughout history. The advent of printing in 1440 presented the opportunity for graphic artists to disseminate their ideas to a wider public in the form of handbills and posters that are now reproducible. Many artists chose to comment on the political events of their time.”

“The list is impressive and includes, among many others, Benjamin Franklin, Honore Daumier, Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Aleksander Rodchenko, Diego Rivera, George Gross, Ben Shahn, and Käthe Kollwitz. Today hundreds, if not thousands, of concerned graphic designers are involved in resisting the totalitarian impulses of governments and other powerful institutions. We decided to document some of the graphic designers active today who have expressed their concern about injustice through the use of posters and other printed materials. Our book and exhibition shows a small sampling of a vigorous commitment to public discourse that surrounds us today. It’s encouraging to see how many practicing designers are committed to an idea of social intervention and are using their skills to promote public good.”

Opening night will feature a lecture by Mr. Ilic and a film screening of “To Inform and Delight: The Work of Milton Glaser” by Wendy Keys.

The Design of Dissent
3 February – 7 March 2010
The Gallery I Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar
Ad Doha, Qatar
Free & Open to the Public
Daily 9am-5pm, except Fridays

For more info, visit mirkoilic.com or miltonglaser.com.

* All images courtesy of Mirko Ilic Corp.
From top: The Design of Dissent graphic by Milton Glaser & Mirko Ilic, interior spread from The Design of Dissent, and “Burnt” by Lisa Gibson.

Describing his creative approach, minimalist furniture designer Jason Phillips says, “I am a designer. I make green choices. I embrace form and function. Design should make you smile.”

The North Carolina-based designer’s work embrace modernity and grace. He searches the globe for the best materials and manufacturing processes, with a conscious effort towards minimizing his carbon footprint. As Phillips explains “When I set out to design a new piece of furniture, I focus on not only form and function, but marketing and manufacturing. It is important to be involved in the entire design process – from start to sale.”

To learn more about Jason Phillips, visit jasonphillipsdesign.com.

*Images courtesy of Jason Phillips Design.
From top: Continuum Table, Starfish Table, Orb Chair and Crackle Coffee Table.

French designer Stéphanie Césaire‘s spring 2010 collection combines classic shapes, luxe materials and modern details for an undeniably timeless effect. Her eponymous brand infuses authentic craftsman’s values into architecturally-inspired pieces. Available in a variety of warm and natural colors, Césaire’s bags boast detailed stitching, gracefully elongated shapes, and snaps, hooks, buttons and engraved plates crafted out of raw natural horn and combined with rough brass, a material that shines with the natural patina of age.

Says Césaire, “I want to create sensual and voluptuous proportions for timeless and unique pieces because wearing a beautiful handbag is a pleasure which can be enjoyed each and every day.”

With a resume that includes previous collaborations with the likes of Albert Elbaz (Guy Laroche), Karl Lagerfeld (Lagerfeld Gallery) and the LVMH Group (Kenzo), Césaire also currently collaborates with Nina Ricci and Azzaro Couture Houses. For more info, visit stephaniecesaire.com.

Combining music, design and attitude, Mobi Headphonies are playful, portable 3” characters with built-in amplified speakers. Available in seven different, quirky characters, Headphonies work with any portable gaming device, MP3 players, most mobile devices, portable DVD players and computers. The little critters are turning lots of heads lately, and just earned the CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Honoree Award in the Electronic Gaming Hardware category. They earned an Innovations Award during the 2010 International CES this month in Las Vegas, and are available now for about $25 at Headphonies.com. Starting this week, too, for every Headphonie purchased on the site, a $1 donation will be made to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.

When great design inspires healthy living, there’s not much more we
can ask for. Y Water’s perfect union combines a cool and kid-friendly,
100% recyclable bottle with removable, biodegradable labeling and
a flavored, vitamin- and mineral-rich, low-sugar, organic beverage.
Once empty, the container becomes a toy that kids can link to other
bottles through biodegradable, connectable rubber “Y knots,” letting
them create spaceships, animals, robots, or whatever else their
imaginations can dream up. When all is said and done, parents can
log onto www.ywater.us and receive a free mailer to send the bottle
back for recycling.

The cheery Y-shape inspired the drink’s name, a playful riff on two
of the most commonly asked kiddie questions: “Why?” and “Why
not?” As Y-Water designer Yves Béhar says, “The brand, the bottle,
the graphics, the name … everything is one, connected by the idea
of giving a smarter, healthier and much more fun experience. The
category is so bland, so un-original … but kids are open-minded to
new and creative things, and that is what we wanted to give them.”

To read my extended review of Y Water for Clear Magazine, click here.