Tag: Wood
Skateboard Art by Haroshi
Haroshi makes his art pieces recycling old used skateboards. His creations are born through styles such as wooden mosaic, dots, and pixels; where each element, either cut out in different shapes or kept in their original form, are connected in different styles, and shaven into the form of the final art piece. Haroshi became infatuated with skateboarding in his early teens, and is still a passionate skater at present. He knows thoroughly all the parts of the skateboard deck, such as the shape, concave, truck, and wheels. He often feels attached to trucks with the shaft visible, goes around picking up and collecting broken skateboard parts, and feels reluctant to throw away crashed skateboards. It’s only natural that he began to make art pieces (i.e. recycling) by using skateboards. To Haroshi, his art pieces are equal to his skateboards, and that means they are his life itself. They’re his communication tool with both himself, and the outside world.
The most important style of Haroshi’s three-dimensional art piece is the wooden mosaic. In order to make a sculpture out of a thin skateboard deck, one must stack many layers. But skate decks are already processed products, and not flat like a piece of wood freshly cut out from a tree. Moreover, skateboards may seem like they’re all in the same shape, but actually, their structure varies according to the factory, brand, and popular skaters’ signature models. With his experience and almost crazy knowledge of skateboards, Haroshi is able to differentiate from thousands of used deck stocks, which deck fits with which when stacked. After the decks are chosen and stacked, they are cut, shaven, and polished with his favorite tools. By coincidence, this creative style of his is similar to the way traditional wooden Japanese Great Buddhas are built. 90% of Buddha statues in Japan are carved from wood, and built using the method of wooden mosaic; in order to save expense of materials, and also to minimize the weight of the statue. So this also goes hand in hand with Haroshi’s style of using skateboards as a means of recycling. Also, although one is not able to see from outside, there is a certain metal object that is buried inside his three-dimensional statue. The object is a broken skateboard part that was chosen from his collection of parts that became deteriorated and broke off from skateboards, or got damaged from a failed Big Make attempt. To Haroshi, to set this kind of metal part inside his art piece means to “give soul” to the statue. “Unkei,” a Japanese sculptor of Buddhas who was active in the 12th Century, whose works are most popular even today among the Japanese people; used to set a crystal ball called “Shin-Gachi-Rin (Heart Moon Circle)” in the position of the Buddha’s heart. This would become the soul of the statue. So the fact that Haroshi takes the same steps in his creation may be a natural reflection of his spirit and aesthetic as a Japanese
Use Your Floor And Walls To Create A Piece Of Furniture.
The knitted pillows are hanging from hooks on the wall and a big mat on the floor makes the sitting very comfortable. Furthermore, when you use floor height as your resting area you move your body more than with conventional furniture. It might not seem like a lot, but by moving up and down from the floor a couple of times every day, joints and muscles will actually be strengthened. And do it every day you will be able to do it when your are 90. The materials are vegetable tanned leather, organic wool, organic kapok and walnut.
Christina says, “In my work I keep simplifying untill there is nothing more than there need to be for the piece to function, often using materials as wood and wool. I am interested in showing the materials properties and the decorative elements should derive from the functionality itself.”
She lives in Copenhagen, Denmark
You can see more at christinaliljenberghalstrom.com
Tegu Reinvents the Wheel
Tegu, an environmentally aware toy company, has released a brand new collection, Tegu Mobility. Tegu Mobility is a brand new line of magnetic wooden wheels and cars. Mobility offers beautifully crafted wheels that magically click onto any Tegu block creation, thus allowing your child to instantly create a mobile masterpiece. The line is fully modular and even integrates with the existing magnetic building system. Like all Tegu toys, the new Mobility collection is made with high-quality and safe materials, such as wood, magnets that are safely enclosed inside wood finished with water-based and non-toxic coatings.
Like all Tegu toys, the new mobility line is made at the Tegu production facility in Honduras. This facility helps support families, giving them steady work, helps to pay for children to attend schooling and facilitates the planting of trees to replenish Honduran forests. Every time you order a wonderful Tegu toy set, you are given an option of sending a child to school for a day or planting a tree to help replenish Honduran forests suffering from clear-cutting. Unlike other great, but we admit, fairly pricey Tegu sets, the new mobility set is much more affordable for families ranging at under $40 a pop. Also, in honor of the Mobility launch Tegu is holding a “How Do You Roll Sweepstakes,” in which Tegu will be randomly selecting one lucky child winner to guest design a Tegu vehicle for mass production in 2012. The selected child will work with the Tegu world-class design team to concept, brand and produce the new product – truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. New Tegu Mobility is available in limited supplies this Christmas.
MOOKI NOODLES 