KithKin

Archive : Milan 2009

Post Future

April 23rd, 2009

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Technology can be alienating to all generations. The lack of understanding and the lack of a desire to understand can prevent an interaction with that technology. Yesterday, on a late evening stroll down Via Savona I was enticed into a small courtyard gallery, not knowing what to expect I worked my way through the space coming across an inviting darkened door way. The press desk on the left packed with too many inquisitive sales people asking where i was from made me realise the formal nature of this exhibition.

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Spontaneous Design

April 22nd, 2009

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Established and Son’s space on Via Palermo looks like a beaver damn captured mid-explosion.  Making our way through the maze-like construction we enter a doctor Seuss world of antennas springing out of chubby drawers, carried by spiderish legs, to talk to Maarten Baas, standing casually draping a Baas branded bag over his arm. It feels like entering an alien world, and the aliens are the furniture.
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Ettore Sottsass was a bit of a kid

April 22nd, 2009

Ettore Sottsass’ childlike pieces are those of dreams and imagination, with lines and colour creeping into realms of fantasy that would rival most child minds. Toy-like constructions are lifted from colouring books to form highly considered, intelligent objects that still manage to evoke the simple doodles and building block towers of playgroup invention.

Tahiti lamp 1981 by Ettore Sottsass

Tahiti lamp 1981 by Ettore Sottsass

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Swineair

April 22nd, 2009

In a drastic attempt at diversification the low cost airline Ryanair has taken on a multi million shipping contract with Zurich Swine, one of the largest suppliers of pork in all of Europe. When confronted with strong scepticism at such a move, Ryanair spokesperson C.A Madden said that the company was more than able to juggle such a large commitment without any expense whatsoever to the regular air flight passenger. Though this seems to many, somewhat at odds with the Ryanair’s recent and controversial introduction of the Safety Ham. Mr Madden replied that the Safety Ham is not, as it is being claimed, a cheap way of transporting meat around Europe, but on the contrary is a very sophisticated, and very necessary piece of equipment, ensuring a considerably safer journey for all involved.

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Camilla Sundwall @ Working Title

April 19th, 2009

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If you pop down to our studio space at Designer’s Block this Milan Design Week from the 22th to 27th of April (see address at the bottom of the page) you will have an opportunity to see Camilla Sundwall’s brilliant project Music of the Spheres. This is a range of kitchenware instruments including a Singing Bowl, Whistling Water Vessel and Ringing Glasses all of which create a dining experience where you fully engage with your senses, producing incredible sounds by simply being used.

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Ninja Spotted Outside Buckingham Palace

April 19th, 2009

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Reports of a ninja type figure flying through the air outside Buckingham Palace have emerged today following this photograph being leaked onto the internet. After meticulous investigation, The Working Title have discovered that this was in fact a hoax started by what observers describe as two men throwing tshirts in the air and taking photographs as the clothing took the shape of a ninja and came crashing back down to earth.

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Mind Hacks

April 15th, 2009

The Ganzfeld Procedure

The human brain is a complex machine, but unlike any man-made machine, it is self-aware. Whilst it is understood that people can trick each other into believing something that the tricker understands to be false, it is difficult to imagine cheating your self-aware brain yourself. If your brain formulated the trick, then it would surely be totally aware of being tricked. Here are a couple of illusions you can play on your brain which work, despite this logic.
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Book review: Natural Harvest, cooking with semen

April 15th, 2009

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Whilst most people may recoil in disgust at the thought of using semen as a cooking product, according to author Fotie Photenhauer it is not only nutritious, but has wonderful cooking properties. The author compares the taste to fine wine or cheese, describing the taste as “complex and dynamic”. Whilst this concept may be far too much to stomach for even the most adventurous of food lovers, this book hopes to change people’s attitudes towards a naturally produced and widely available ingredient. (more…)

Finding Free Furniture in Milan

April 15th, 2009

If you are finding that money is become tight and your wallet is feeling increasingly lighter, forget spending a fortune on expensive furniture, go basement hunting. There are several offices and other public buildings that can be found in cities across the world which have basements piled with discarded furniture and electronics. Whether it be due to a company going bust or just replacing their equipment, once it has been discarded they are confronted with the option of either getting rid of it, which is an expensive and time consuming task, or storing it. At The Working Title we wanted to see if people would allow us to go into their storage spaces and assist them by helping them to get rid of their rubbish and put it to better use ourselves. Accompanied by a white van we were granted access to a basement under a well known public building in London to find furnishings for our Milan show space. To see the result visit us in person at Designersblock Revel Scalo d’Isola Via Thaon De Revel, 3 20159 Milano (Zona Isola)

Bad Hair Days Are Rover

April 15th, 2009

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If you’re the kind of person who keeps a dog as a replacement for human companionship but feel that they look too much like a dog then Ruth Regina’s dog wigs may be just what you’re looking for. (more…)