designer in exile: November 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Art and Soul of Philly

Milkcrate Cafe in Fishtown.

A few years back National Geographic tagged Philadelphia as "the next great city." In many ways, it already is. Here in Fishtown there's electricity in the air, new businesses are starting up, the gears of creativity are turning, and people here - once known for being the workshop for the world - are thinking local, while acting global. This year why not skip gift-shopping at the mall and take a stroll down Girard Avenue? Be a locasumer.

One great place to start is a new little coffee shop/record store named Milkcrate Cafe, at the corner of Columbia and Girard. Being a collector of vintage vinyl and a coffee guzzler, the concept alone was enough to peak my interest. But what really impressed me was the cool design feature of having an entire wall of colorful, collectible record covers serve as the main focal point for the cafe's decor. The rest of the interior is fairly minimal and mod, which helps balance the colorful, dazzling mosaic of albums.

Owner Adam Porter hails from a legacy work in multi-media oriented coffee houses such as Chicago's notorious Earwax, as well as notable cafes in down in the bustle New Orleans. He also put in some DJ time at Philadelphia's renowned Five Spot club, which closed due to fire years ago, a legacy woefully remembered by the club crowd.

The records at Milkcrate are all for purchase, including a vast business of online sales of funk, jazz, soul, rock and rarities from their dynamic website. And the coffee is from Philadelphia's great La Colombe coffee - my favorite of the city's gourmet coffee roasters.

Though only at lift-off stage now, plans for the shop include an extensive food menu and expansion of the record store into the downstairs level, as well as turntables spun for entertainment.

From the looks of the record collection I may not be needing to order from Dusty Groove to get my fill of rare soul.

UpCycle

Speaking of groove, just few blocks down the street is the VGroove studio of artist and lampmaker Victor Perez and his "upcycled" handmade skateboard lamps.

Victor makes some very moderne-looking lamp sculptures utilizing old skateboards. He cuts them apart, sands them down, reassembles, and retrofits, until they become something quite extraordinary - not really looking like skateboards anymore, though one can still sense their original essence. His one-of-a-kind lamps have been the buzz around Fishtown lately, with his work appearing in variety of area shows.

His lamps will be on exhibit this weekend in a show with friends at his studio on 306 East Girard in Fishtown.

Fishtown Airways

A block or so further down is the Fishtown Airways artist collective and market, which proffers a plethora of works from local artists and artisans. Here you can find truly unique art items, crafts, and accessories that definitely wont be on the racks or in bins of mass produced crud at the mall. Fishtown Airways opened up earlier this summer and has generated an offshoot gallery called Piranha Betty's Art Market on 2472 Frankford Avenue.

Johnny Brendas

Kitty-corner from Fishtown Airways, you can rest from your days worth of locasumer activity and grab a bite to eat at Johnny Brenda's, one of the area's hubs for good food, brew, and entertainment. Have a pint of Kenzinger from the Philadelphia Brewing Company, made blocks away in nearby Kensington, and with hops provided by (in some batches) the neighborhood's urban green spot, Greensgrow Farms. And while you're there at JB's, stick around and see one of Philly's great local bands perform in the upstairs concert hall, which has become a primary venue for the music scene...

Wow, this sure sounds like fun, and all with a carbon footprint the size of my little toe. See you there! --D.A. DeMers

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Additional images:

Milkcrate Cafe after dark.

The "great wall" of records.

Rare Leroy Hutson record from the '70's.

Vast record collection, with more downstairs.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Robots We've Grown to Love

Robot Painting

Not long ago I attended a gallery event at Philadelphia's Fishtown Airways artist collective on Girard Ave, (now apparently splintered off into Piranha Betty's Art Market, at another location on Frankford Ave). Outside was a table featuring the playful, colorful robot paintings of local artist Evan Cairo. I was captivated by the work, and bought one of the paintings. I recall the artist saying his robots were "a lot like humans." They do seem that way...nice humans.

Evan Cairo

I placed the robot painting on a shelf in my bedroom. Each day I woke up and looked at it. As time went by, I began feeling a bit strange. It was as if a sensor had been activated within me, a circuit flipped on.

It's difficult to remember the events that followed, but one vivid occurrence remains - there was a constant pulsating flash of images in my mind, specifically of childhood memories. For days I scrambled to find similar representations of those images. I knew they were in the house somewhere - perhaps they were in books, maybe drawings I'd done, objects I'd collected.

Japanese toy robot.

Soon enough boxes had been plundered through, drawers tossed about, papers scattered everywhere. I didn't sleep or eat until I found what I needed...or maybe, what I was being commanded to find. Was it Evan's robot that was directing me? I couldn't be sure.

Whatever it was, it had gotten out of hand, especially for my wife, Anne, who'd been away during all this. I recall hearing the front door open, her calling my name, and then footsteps clacking as she slowly walked up our wood stairs to the attic where I was secluded. There I sat crouched on the floor, a three day beard on my face, everything in shambles, and showing a frenzied, maddened grin. In my hands was a shoe-box filled with little toys. The robots of my youth. The wonderful human-like droids that had inspired me to create and design my own universe.

Anne didn't exactly share the same euphoria for my re-found stuff, at least not right then. One reason could've been because dinner guests were due within the hour, and the house looked like a nor-easter had blown by. I quickly found myself wearing that special shoe-box on my head and heard a cursing emitted of which only humans are capable.

Japanese toy rocketship.

But the point is that robots have stirred the human immagination for eras. The tale above might include a smidge of fantasy, nonetheless, these mechanical beings were an unequivocal force in my aspiration to make art and to eventually become a product designer. People tend to personify machines. Possibly it's just a childlike nostalgia for playing with toys.

Or perhaps it's something deeper and universally compelling, something long embedded in the human psyche - a desire to bring to life things that are by nature unanimated, cold, and non-human. Whichever the case, that fascination still glows within me today...sort of like, well, a flickering LED light. --D.A DeMers

Below: robot-like "Moon Rover" task lamp I designed in 2004. My company proffered it to Crate and Barrel's mod furnishings company, CB2, during a meeting at the IHFC's High Point Market. They rejected it... I actually made the prototype by hand.

Below: dog and elephant toy robots, circa 1960s. Anonymous.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Philly Mischief - Keepin' it Clean

Tips for de-egging.

Mischief Night, Halloween, and the World Series season can pose irksome challenges for the average Philadelphia homeowner. You very well may find yourself cleaning eggs off your house or car and TP from your trees - tasks that can certainly be frustrating to tackle, but since it only happens once a year, don't let it get you in a bad mood.

Here is some helpful how-to advice for cleaning up, as well as a few tips on keeping your home and possessions safe when the looting and riots begin after a Phillies World Series victory.

If the eggs that your neighborhood kids pelted your house with hit a window, you'll need the items listed below. Most of these items can be easily purchased at your local hardware store:

1. A clean rag and bucket of warm soapy water, preferably a non-toxic formula.

2. A toothbrush and wire grill brush.

3. A soft bristle broom and a dust pan.

Wipe the egged glass with a generous amount of warm sudsy water. If the eggs have been there for a few days and dried, the work can be a bit of a bugger at first, but eventually they should emulsify and come off fairly easy. You may need to pick the crusty shells off with your fingers if the rag doesn't wipe them away.

Use wire brush.

To clean the yellow goo from your screens, I suggest wetting them and then using a combo of both the toothbrush and wire grill brush to pick away at the mess and scrub it out.

If you live in the Fishtown part of Philly, like me, you may have been completely besieged by a full-on arsenal of eggs, so be aware that this job may be time-consuming. Egging is a long-standing tradition here, so have a chuckle about it, put on your ipod and have fun wiping the crud away. Don't be grumpy!

When all is done, simply sweep up the eggshells from your sidewalk. I recommend a soft bristle broom to easily get down into the cracks and crevices of the city's neglected, unrepaired concrete.

Sweep eggshells from sidewalk.

After the Phillies win the World Series, as always, be vigilant and take necessary precautions to prevent harm to your home and property. Especially watch out for the possibility of your car being overturned and set on fire.

Below is a picture I took today of what I believe is a mother demonstrating to her children how to get a car right-side-up. I don't suggest attempting this yourself. It's best to simply call the police immediately, and allow them to handle it. Attempting to right an overturned car can be very dangerous, especially if you haven't done it before. So stay calm and let's all have a safe post-victory night of chaos this time around.

Mother with children in Fishtown neighborhood.

All clear and flyin' the Phlag.

To see stats on the Phillies in the sustainable stadium race, see our post America's Greenest Ballpark. Go Phillies!