Extreme Craft

Extreme SKIN!

  February-Extreme Craft-Starlets of Craft Calendar 2008 
  Originally uploaded by Indie Craft Experience

When Atlanta's Indie Craft Experience asked Claire and I if we wanted to be included in their yearly "Starlets of Craft" calendar, we jumped at the opportunity.....mostly because their calendar has always had plenty of starlets, but a dearth of skin.  To appreciate my physique as the good folks at I.C.E. intended, you'll have to buy a calendar!  Spend this coming February with Extreme Craft!

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Crafting a Web

A few months ago, Extreme Craft brought you word of American Craft's extensive redesign (at the hands of ex-Dwell Magazine editor Andrew Wagner and former Dwell creative director Jeanette Abbink).  Issue 2 hit the newsstands a few weeks back (dig the Extreme Craft excerpt in the blogs section!).  Now, they have a website to match.  You can check out piles of content from the new issue, as well as reviews and an insanely complete calendar at americancraftmag.org.  American Craft....it's not just for your turquoise-wearing maiden Aunt from Santa Fe anymore!

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Ben There, Done That!

Ben Fino-Radin is a recent grad of my alma mater, Alfred University.  From all indications, he spent his time  in frozen Western New York well, nursing some seriously weird hobbies (as people in the great white North tend to do).  Exhibit A is the needlepoint Mac Classic you see above.  Fino-Radin knows his way around the plastic needlepoint canvas, and has crafted many a tech geek's dream out of it.   In case you've been missing the hourglass from the old Mac operating system, he created this "bling", which is available from La Superette.org.

Alfred is well-known for its ceramic department, but it is increasingly known for the Institute for Electronic Arts, which caters to students who yearn to mix and match their explorations of video, audio, computer-aided printmaking, random hardware geekery and whatever else is handy.  I am eternally in debt to the IEA for helping me mix computer design into my ceramics.   While at Alfred, Ben Fino-Radin coaxed new Mac hardware into old computers, made experimental music under the monikers "Rainbro" and "Sicilian Funrise" and also made interactive craft projects for the interactive videowall at the school.

My favorite project was called "I made this thing and I think you should wear it" as a collaboration with Caroline Charuk.  The duo took turns making extreme clothing like thongs and circuit-bent jewelry, then (displaying considerable courage) documented the pieces on video.  You never know what a long Alfred winter will do to you.

LINK via BoingBoing 

Another Brick in the Wall

I didn't even know that there was an official Extreme Craft theme park until this week!  Rather than endorse a political candidate, I'll endorse a theme park.  The honor goes to Legoland, just outside of San Diego.  My friend Seth brought his family to California for a visit (That's a very tired Leah pictured at left).  He's an architect, so of course Legos are like architect crack to him, and probably deeply embedded in the DNA of his kids.  I've been to Disneyland and Disneyworld a few times, and I've got to say, the most fun I had was watching all of the kids melt down at the end of the day.  Not so at Legoland--things are pretty high-tech there, but there's enough room for kids to let their imaginations roam.  There were some sleepy kids at closing time, but I saw very few "WAIT-UNTIL-YOUR-FATHER-GETS-HOME" moments.

I wasn't even a LEGO geek when I was a kid.  My grandfather made an amazing set of building blocks out of wood that I played with for years.  Still, If there's one thing I'm a sucker for, it's fanaticism.  LEGO devotees go to great lengths for their addiction, and LEGO seems to grow as their fans do, branching out into robotics and computer programs.  In fact, did you know that you can download their Digital Designer application, make virtual models, then place an order for for the bricks you need to construct the model in the real world.

The geeky heart and soul of Legoland is MiniLand, an area where the park's Master model builders have created detailed miniature versions of New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, New Orleans, Los Angeles and even Ferndale in Northern California.   Above, you'll find a picture of one of LegoLand's smaller model shops.  Model makers sit under the (monster) ventilation system and superglue pieces together all day.  The smallest model is a tiny duck hanging in the window of a Chinese restaurant in Mini Chinatown, and the largest model is a brontosaurus near the front of the park that is made from over 2 million bricks!

Occasionally, LEGO holds a contest to select its master builders.  Nathan Sawaya, who was featured in Extreme Craft earlier this year began his career as a LEGO artist by winning.   Apart from the amazing LEGO sculptures, you'll find rides, theme areas, playgrounds, a semi-famous ventriloquist and a gaggle of caricaturists and face painters.  The next time you're in Southern California with a burning need to visit a theme park, bypass the Mouse and funnel your money into the Danish economy.

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My Name is GARTH. I Like to DANCE!

Merry Christmas, everybody!  My favorite crafty gift?  My darling wife, Claire made me this handcrafted "Yo Gabba Gabba" T-Shirt.  I love that woman.  Happy Holidays!

Winter Break!

Happy winter break, all of you educators out there!  I'm about to hand in my final grades for the semester.  Tonight, I'll be on a plane bound for Mexico, where I hope I'll be able to find some extreme craft to bring y'all.  I'm taking a holiday vow not to emulate the Greek fellow in the (rather excellent) illustration above.  Instead, I'll be working on my new mystery craft project.  See you in Mexico!

Football Players on Pot II

A few weeks ago, I posted a short clip of ESPN's "Aren't you Glad they Chose Football" ad campaign featuring some NFL heavy hitters in a future-dystopia pottery scenario.  Here's the full thing!  To be frank, I'm not sure I would enjoy living in a 1984-esque world run by potters.  Some countries already are, though.

LINK thanks, Erin!

Improvised Explosive Delights

I was feeling pretty smug yesterday when, after asking in vain for a bottle opener at my office, I managed to open a bottle of apple cider on my desk drawer.  My smugness quickly turned to burning envy when I read about Brendan Vaughan's book, "What Would MacGyver Do".  This paperback volume chronicles the everyday triumphs of people like you and me using their wits and the primitive technology they have on hand.

The book is divided into different chapters.  The first chapter involves automobiles (the sample chapter I read involved a woman using Chex Mix to get her car unstuck from an ice patch).  Other chapters include home improvement nightmares, travel, relationships and "on the job" incidents.  Notable contributors include Chuck Klosterman, who wrote a chapter called "The Chuck-it Bucket".  Your loved ones will thank you when they unwrap this baby on Christmas Day.

Amazon.com LINK

Balls to the Waller

One of the staples of the Extreme Craft Roadshow (my traveling slideshow) is Patricia Waller, a Chilean born German artist who knits disturbing stuffed animals that illustrate disturbing tendencies in nature (human and otherwise).  Some enterprising YouTuber has put together a fun video using Waller's artwork.  Something about seeing the images set to a jaunty tune doubles their impact.

Thanks, Jared!

Felt Up!

I didn't get a chance to go to Felt Club in Los Angeles last month.  I missed out on all kinds of craziness--from Subversive Cross Stitch to chopper bikes.  I can take some comfort from this virtual tour on BoingBoing TV by CRAFT Editor-in-Chief Carla Sinclair.  Wild horses couldn't keep me away from Felt Club's next event in the summer.