LA Pop Art Salutes David Bowie with Line of Branded Apparel.
“There are Rock Stars, and there are Rock Gods – David Bowie is one of the few artists in history that’s both,” offers LA Pop Art company founder Joseph Leibovic, announcing his company’s partnership with The David Bowie Estate to celebrate the artist’s legacy with an all-new collection of Word Art apparel.
David Bowies’ passion for visual imagery was the inspiration for this collection of unique LA Pop Art hand drawn Word Art designs. The distinctive apparel collection is launched with several of the most iconic images in Bowie’s catalog, the first being a design which reimagines the classic Bowie logo using a selection of his most popular song titles.
A definite “Oh, Wow!” moment at the recent BDNY show — (boutique design for the hospitality industry) at Javits Center — occurred when I walked into the booth for Century Industries. Because: David Bowie Chair.
David Bowie Chair, Seat Detail
This gorgeous side chair, upholstered in vinyl imprinted with images of David Bowie from the Aladdin Sane era, is a show-stopper for sure. The chair was designed by Century designer Lenny Levine in collaboration with Heloise Godin, another talented designer in the firm’s Connecticut office. Lenny was happy to fill me in on the chair’s origin story.
David Bowie Chair Back Support Detail
“Heloise and I tried a few different mock-ups before deciding on the model you saw at BDNY,” Lenny told me. “Only two chairs of the Bowie print have been made so far. There’s another, slightly different version in our Connecticut showroom, with a black frame instead of chrome, where the artwork has darker tones, and there are no images of Bowie around the sides of the cushions. We have made this style of chair with different prints and metal finishes for shows such as HD (Hospitality Design) Expo in Las Vegas and HCD (Healthcare Design Conference & Expo) in New Orleans, which were both earlier this year. These design shows are all part of the launchpad for introducing the printed chair line.
Lenny enthusiastically admits to being a Bowie fan. “The image of David Bowie as Aladdin Sane was chosen because Bowie is synonymous with great art and high fashion. He is a seminal artist and his body of work is timeless; his sense of style beyond influential. David Bowie took risks, he pushed art and life to its fullest and, although he was British, he certainly invaded New York.”
Installation View
Lenny explained that the chair was given a ‘Warhol‘ vibe, which then inspired Century to go with a Pop Art / Deco style for its booth at BDNY. “The lightening bolt on the face was oversized and colored a deep red and blue, giving it a bit of that Superhero feel. Although the vinyl appears to be distressed, that is a printing effect, making the faux leather appear to have texture.”
“The additional images used are from the same contact sheets from the original album and promotional photo shoot, but they have been treated graphically to evoke motion. The steel frame of the chair was also fabricated on our Montreal factory and finished in a smoked chrome. This finish and the chair’s unique filigree backing gives it an automotive spirit!”
This David Bowie chair is fit for a Rock Star, but priced at just $2500 (a steal), and Century will produce it on-demand for designers, hospitality, restaurants, etc. “We’re also getting requests from retailers to showcase the chair, based on our launch at BDNY,” Lenny added. Exciting! Visit Century on the web to inquire about the Bowie Chair at This Link!
While running errands on my lunch hour, I stumbled upon a set of ten larger-than-lifesize bronze statues of various women, who are easily recognizable as celebrities or otherwise influential public figures, which turned out to be part of Statues For Equality, a public art initiative by husband and wife artist team Gillie and Marc. Statues For Equality is a global mission to balance gender representation in public statues and honor women’s contribution to society. While the installation includes world-famous women such as Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, and Cate Blanchett, the figure that stood out for me the most was one of Pink, because, well, she’s a rock star! The plaque that can be seen to the right of each statue explains the many reasons for each woman’s inclusion in the project, and Pink’s has the following inscription:
“Twenty-first-century pop idol Pink is a three-time Grammy award winning singer and songwriter who has released seven studio albums, has 15 top ten singles, sold over 50 million albums worldwide, and sold out tours all over the world, making her one of the most widely respected and popular musicians across the globe.
Installation View
As outstanding as she is influential, Pink received mass acclaim for her raw, honest, and subversive approach to pop music combined with her distinctive and commanding vocal performance that has inspired countless others to pick up a microphone and be themselves.
Outside of her highly decorated music career, Pink is a UNICEF Ambassador, an outspoken animal activist, LGBTQ advocate, and campaigner for women’s rights with a focus on body positivity and female representation.
Standing tall in an Aster, a flower loved for its hardness and variety of blooming colors, Pink chose the Aster flower as a symbol of her diverse audience from around the world as well as her transformative career.
Statues For Equality Can Currently Be Seen at 32 Old Slip in The Financial District, NYC, But It is Expected to Move On To Other Cities, So See These Fine Ladies While You Can!
This year’s Five Points Festival is a few weeks behind us now, and trust me when I say that the full-on photo recap of this truly mind-blowing event is on the way. But in the meantime, I’d like to satiate your craving for art toy news with a little teaser, featuring my favorite purchase from the show: these adorable Mini Lego Figures of David Bowie as two of his most famous personas, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane!
These figures were designed by artist Ron Reeves of Spandex Studios (SPandEX), and the attention to detail makes them instantly recognizable. For example, the toy above is rocking the Asymmetrical Knit Bodysuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto in 1973 for the Ziggy Stardust tour. Mini Lego Ziggy also comes with a Mic, so he can drop it.
And despite the fact that it says “Ziggy Stardust” on the packaging, this figure is clearly Bowie from the Aladdin Sane-era — distinguish by the iconic lighting bolt across its face. The card art includes an image of Bowie from the D.A. Pennebaker live concert film, Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars (1973). Perhaps a bit more attention to detail could have been employed here, but whatever. It is still pretty cool.
In the 1930s, companies like Delman and Ferragamo popularized chunky sandals and shoes. The trend continued during and immediately after World War II in shoes produced in materials that were not restricted by rationing, such as cork, woven straw, and wood. British brand Biba proposed platform sandals for women that emphasized the individualistic, expressive flare characteristic of that decade’s fashion accessories — an attitude that men confidently adopted as well. Inventive and sometimes flamboyant, platform shoes were favored by musicians in the late twentieth century. In the 1970s especially, lavish platform boots in bright, metallic, or shiny materials intensified the glamorous look of male pop and rock stars including David Bowie and Elton John. These metallic silver and red leather boots bearing John’s initials were co-designed by Elton himself and Lionel Avery in 1974.
Club Kids wore multicolored platform shoes to raves in the 1990s, and pop sensations the Spice Girls made them fashionable, especially for young women. In the twenty-first century, platform shoes have reached new heights in the work of designers such as Alexander McQueen and Noritaka Tatehana.
Photographed as Part of the Exhibit, Items: Is Fashion Modern, on View Through January 28th, 2018 at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
Vintage Dave Mustaine Meme Courtesy of Meme Maker Dot Com
Can you believe it’s been a dozen years since I started this rad blog as a way to get (wait for it) more writing jobs? Neither can I! Holy crap, what a crazy twelve years it has been! Today, the Greatest Pop Culture Blog in the Known Universe Thanks You for the Sweet Ride!
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