Gordon Bennett’s one-of-a-kind robot sculptures are made from a combination of old and new found objects. Working out of his Park Slope, Brooklyn studio, Bennett and his family collectively hunt for parts at local stoop sales, garbage dumps, construction sites, basements and everywhere in between.

Made from wood, metal, bakelite, glass, rubber, plastic and paint, each robot takes about a month to build, and ranges in height from 14″ to 36″. There are no batteries or moving parts; they’re created as works of art, not toys. Every one of Bennett’s robots receives a numbered metal tag as proof of authentication.

Gordon Bennett has been creating these rockin’ little robots for about 7 years now. Bennett Robot Works was originally inspired by Norman Bel Geddes and Raymond Loewy, whose visions of the “Modern Age” helped shape 1940′s and ’50′s industrial design.

For more information, visit www.bennettrobotworks.com

*Images courtesy of Bennett Robot Works.

The latest handmade collections by British men’s shoe designer Mr. Hare – A/W ’09 “Purest Form” and this spring’s “Hot Steppers” – were inspired, respectively, by great male authors (Kerouac, Fitzgerald, Wolfe) and dancehall generals (Jerry Lee Lewis, King Tubby).

“Purest Form” is a gentlemanly collection, a study of the classic oxford and derby constructions, both for evening and action/adventure-wear.

Describing “Hot Steppers,” Hare says: “I have dedicated this collection to a selection of Dancehall generals who through their sheer brilliance have given us reason to tear up dance floors across the continents. Above the thrill of music that moves your physical and emotional state, there is only love in my humble opinion. Stand up Johnny Pacheco, Victor Boa, Fela Kuti, Phil Spector, Sir Coxsone, King Tubby, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Barretto, Sir Jablonsky and all the others.”

He goes on: “The dancehall is also where youth honed its style, physical expression, and moves. So I had to revisit the teenage footwear that gave those dancehall movements their start. The saddle shoe and then the brothel creeper were amongst the first shoes of youth when teenagers first came into their own after World War II. You will find them re-imagined here.”

Mr. Hare was founded in 2008 “as one man’s selfish pursuit of great shoes.” Mr. Hare is stocked at Dover Street Market, Oki-ni.com, SPR+ and Beams. To learn more about the brand, check out Mr. Hare’s blog.

*All images courtesy of Marc Hare. Photos by Marley Lohr.

New York-based artist Palden Weinreb’s first solo show – This World is Flat – is on view now at London’s Rossi & Rossi. A Tibetan-American, Weinreb traveled to Tibet in 2006 to reconnect with his heritage, an experience that resonates in his current work. His new show includes elegant works on paper, mixed media prints, and new media wall sculpture created by the twenty-something artist (b. 1982) over the last two years.

Heavily influenced by Buddhist practices as a result of his Tibetan heritage, Weinreb often recites a mantra while acting on what he describes as a “shamanistic compulsion to create meticulous hand drawn lines.” These lines are incredibly precise – remarkably, they’re created without guidelines. For the series This World is Flat, planes created by fields of successive lines are dissected by thin angles, curves of negative space and varying line weights to create subtle, multidimensional forms.

Above: “Astral Redux” (2009), a recent foray into new media, in which Weinreb employs laser-cut lines to create a sunburst pattern over a brilliant white LED lightbox.

ArtSlope had the opportunity to interview Weinreb on the eve of his new show…

How do you feel about your first solo show? What have you learned from the experience so far?
I feel lucky. There are too many talented artist who do not have opportunities to exhibit. Having said that, you really need to be hungry for success as well, and know where you work is at. Anyway, I have never been so stressed out about a deadline! However, I am better for it. The pressure forces you to approach production in a more serious manner. Friends, family, my girlfriend – I barely saw any for a time. “Welcome to a life as a shut in” I thought. I learned to keep to schedule and constantly reassess what was possible within the given the time frame. Negotiating what I wanted with what was realistic changed weekly. I would try to anticipate as many problems as possible in order to avoid them… though I’ve learned you can never plan for everything. What I’ve really learned is the extensive preparation and execution it takes to make a truly substantial body of work.

What themes or emotions are you trying to express through your artwork?
Well, it varies from piece to piece. Overall, I try to create what I would describe as a contemplative, escapist visual experience – one in which the viewer is entranced to challenge preconceived notions of the illusions that surround us all. I like the idea of alluding to the fact that there may be an otherworldly code or system that exists on a universal scale. I attempt to deconstruct the illusions to the bare bones of their structure, hopefully exposing their falsity and interconnectedness.

Above: The “Oblivion” triptych (2009), in which off-centered concentric rings are created through thousands of lines broken by spiraling curves of negative space, creates a sense of motion.

Can you explain the relationship or balance between negative space and varying line weights?
It defines the dialogue of absence and presence that is central to my work. Pushing the negative space to point where it is just as evident as the marks of graphite challenges a viewer’s preconceived notions of space. I try to conceive compositions where the negative space becomes positive and backgrounds become indistinguishable from foregrounds. This is key.

Above: “Genesis” 2008, graphite and encaustic on paper and panel board

How do see your own evolution as an artist up to this point? What are your hopes for the future?
I’ve become more focused in defining my voice. With a strong understanding of this voice I am able to diverge in other directions while still staying connected to my work as a whole. There is a self-imposed pressure to challenge myself that will always result in an evolution of my work. Stagnancy is an artist’s worst enemy. Getting better at problem solving is always important, and it is important to know what you want. It is also important to know when “what you want” is not necessarily a good thing. Being able to see potential, no matter how slight, is crucial to inspiration. For the future, I can really only hope for continued support and success, as I know that sustaining a career in the arts is just as difficult as establishing one. I will always be just getting to that next step.

This World is Flat runs through March 18th at Rossi & Rossi.
16 Cliffor Street, London

Just in time for Valentines, welcome “Ventricle Vessel,” a beautiful glass piece designed by Eva Milinkovic of Tsunami Glassworks. Inspired by the heart’s many emotions, this colorful piece is a perfect example of what Tsunami Glassworks does so well: beautiful, playful, wholly original, glass creations. As Milinkovic told ArtSlope last year when we were first introduced, “Our goal really is just to continue working with glass; it’s so much fun and so easy to fall in love with. It’s a beautiful material, the colours and translucency you can’t achieve with anything else.”

The “Ventricle” is available in three sizes:
Small H 12” ($500), Medium H 16” ($750), and Large H 22” ($1100).

To see more of their work on ArtSlope, including their beautiful “Tubes” series, click here. Or visit tsunamiglassworks.com.

* Image courtesy of Leber Media Group.

Since the late 1990s, Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto has created interactive, immersive sculptural environments using translucent, stretchable fabrics. “Navedenga” (1998) – one of Neto’s early, quasi-architectural bodies – is on view now at the Museum of Modern Art through late April.

The enveloping sculptural environment invites the audience to participate in a work of art, as they enter the sculpture’s hollow chamber and engage it with their visual, tactile, and olfactory senses. Responsive to the touch, “Navedenga” was constructed from Lycra fabric, Styrofoam and sand, and embedded with aromatic cloves. Its soft, sensuous surface, and round, taut contours reference and evoke the human body.

The installation’s form and the title—a neologism created by the artist that recalls the Portuguese word “nave,” or “ship”—suggest both a fantastical spacecraft and a protective womb. It’s part of a series of “naves” by Neto, alluding to journeys both intimate and expansive, feminine and masculine.

For more information, visit MoMA.org.
All images courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art:
Ernesto Neto, “Navedenga.” 1998. Polyamide stretch fabric, sand, Styrofoam, cloves, cord, and ribbon. 144 x 180 x 252″ (365.8 x 457.2 x 640.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Donald L. Bryant, Jr. Installation photographed at The Museum of Modern Art, 2010. Photo © 2010 Jason Mandella.

Describing her eponymous line, up-and-coming fashion designer Alexandra Grecco says, “Ultimately, I want my clothes to have a whimsical, yet sexy feel that reminds us all of playing ‘dress up,’ a feeling that, too many times, gets lost in our busy, scheduled lives. It’s all bringing play into life.”

Grecco found inspiration for her silk and vintage fabric line in the duality of Vladimir Nabakov’s Lolita character. “Since I was young,” she says, “both Kubrick and Lyne‘s film versions of that novel have influenced my style. I’m stunned when a woman can appear youthful and innocent, yet she’s effortlessly and dangerously alluring.”

She goes on, “Vintage lingerie, curves and pin up girls! I suppose I’m most comfortable at home when I’m lounging in something ridiculously feminine, and sexy, yet something that carries a simplicity and is practical enough to venture outdoors in, if need be. Basically, I always want to wear my underwear outside, but realizing that desire is, unfortunately, not considered civilized and would cause ailments for the majority of the elderly, I took my inspiration from boudoir-wear and infused it with daytime practicality for my first collection!”

To learn more or purchase items from Grecco’s line, check out alexandragrecco.etsy.com and gludafindslulu.blogspot.com.

*Images courtesy of Alexandra Grecco.

Created by American designer Felicia Ferrone, The Revolution Collection combines two glasses or bowls into one, so that contents inside appear to float, seemingly defying gravity. Handcrafted in the Czech Republic by master glassblowers, Ferrone first conceived of the Revolution Collection in 2001 while in Milan, where it was initially produced by Italian manufacturer Covo. In 2004, this gracefully simple set earned Ferrone a GOOD DESIGN award. Last year, it was inducted into the permanent design collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently on display in the inaugural Architecture and Design exhibition in the Modern Wing. They’re also available for sale through the Art Institute.

The current generation of the Revolution Collection includes the award winning Revolution wine and water glass, plus the new champagne flute, liqueur glass, carafe, large bowl, and small bowl. Formed from a pure extrusion of hand-blown borosilicate glass (a material that allows for a range of hot and cold applications), the collection is microwave, oven, freezer and dishwasher safe.

For more info, visit the recently relaunched fferronedesign.com.

Inspired by the best that the natural and technological worlds have to offer, London-based design firm Platform was founded in 2007 by Gernot Oberfell and Jan Wertelrawn. Prior to launching their own operation, both worked several years at the famous Ross Lovegrove Studio, designing for clients like Artemide, Moroso, Sony, VitrA/Turkey, Issey Miyake and Tag Heuer.

Under the Platform Wertel, Oberfell label, their combined passions for new technologies and materials, computer aided design, and the logic and beauty of organic forms results in playful, smart, and beautiful pieces. Their work ranges from furniture, lighting and industrial products to experimental research pieces, all with clear connections to both evolving technologies and nature.

Their Cell Collection chairs (top), for example, were inspired by the honeycomb’s efficient structure, and made of plywood, pu foam and wool fabric, and manufactured in an inmold process broadly used in the transportation industry. They’re available through Iker.

To reduce the amount of plastic, Platform’s Woood mobile phone project (above, and last heard in prototyping stage) uses an extruded wood composite, containing up to 80% of natural fibres. Components like buttons and caps are made of biodegradable plastic.The materials are very suitable for today’s livecycles of consumer electronics and very friendly to touch and feel, just like real wood.

And then there’s the Fractal Table (above), derived from studies in fractal growth patterns. Its treelike stems grow into smaller branches until they get very dense towards the top. It was developed by Platform Wertel, Oberfell together with Matthias Bär, and is impossible to manufacture unless rapid prototyped. The table is a single piece SLA in epoxy resin.

In their own words: “We both share a strong interest in new technologies and materials. A very important tool in our Design process is CAD software, which not only enables us to communicate with our international clients, but becomes through experimentation a source of inspiration. However, the most difficult part is to find a good balance between your head and your heart.”

For more information, visit the Platform site.

*Images courtesy of Platform.

Opening tomorrow, Berlin’s ZAK BRANICKA gallery presents Activities with Dobromierz (1972-74), a work by artistic duet KwieKulik. Members of the eastern European neoavant-garde 1970s movement, KwieKulik – working couple Zofia Kulik and Przemyslaw Kwiek -was primarily active from 1971-1987. During that time, the pair collaborated on multiple performance pieces, demonstrations, objects, films and photographs. The made a gallery out of their home, hosting lectures and demonstrations, often with strong social and political overtones. Calling to mind similar artistic pairs of that time – Gilbert&George and Abramovic/Ulay – they approached art as an extension of everyday life.

To that end, after the birth of their son, Dobromierz, KwieKulik incorporated him into their art for two years (1972- 74). “By combining parent’s responsibilities with artwork, we achieve the most variable compositions of our son with subjects of everyday utilities, containers, and surfaces – in situations that inquire our home or outdoor walks – all such compositions are captured on photo slides.”

Activities with Dobromierz consists of hundreds of pictures of their son in different situations, including both everyday realities and arrangements created by the artists. Sometimes Dobromierz lies among vegetables, or on the floor amid cutlery, or sits in a cardboard box. The series expresses their response to the ideas of omnipresent manipulation and censorship (particularly as it relates to Socialism), and an opportunity to introduce the absurd to reality.

In 1987, Kulik and Kwiek parted, and the duet KwieKulik came to an end. From that point on, both artists work independently.

Activities with Dobromierz runs through March 13, 2010.
*Images courtesy of ZAK BRANICKA.

Rising fashion designer Hernan Lander, a graduate of Parsons and former contributor to the Donna Karan Collection, began work on his eponymous label in 2008. Today, Lander creates men’s and women’s garments inspired by modern art and architectural elements. His women’s Spring/Summer 2010 Collection, seen here, features beautifully constructed pieces that combine the earth tones of Africa with the idea of industrialization…he’ll unveil his Fall 2010 collection next week during New York’s Fashion Week.

For more information, visit hernanlander.com.

*Images courtesy of Passion Style PR.