Archive for January, 2012
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computer doorstop
Object: Macintosh Color Classic, c. 1994
Location: used as a doorstop at Springboard Media, 2212 Walnut St.
Background: According to ye olde Wikipede, the Color Classic paved the way for the candy-colored iMac. And according to this New York Times article, the Color Classic has a … Read more
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garbo, trashed
Object: Garbo trash can, designed by Karim Rashid
Location: Queen Village sidewalk, trash day
Background: Rashid has said he’s “incredibly frustrated with the mass ugly things that surround us,” which explains why this incredibly prolific designer (who used to teach at Philly’s University of the Arts) designs … Read more
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terrarium on fabric row
Object: Terrarrium, planted
Location: Moon and Arrow, a seasonal pop-up boutique on Fabric Row selling jewelry and vintage
Background: See this earlier post on the “crazy duck hairdryer” for more about Moon & Arrow.
Context: Sales of terrarium supplies at Terrain have “increased 25-30% per … Read more
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zoe strauss billboard
Object: billboard by photographer, Zoe Strauss
Location: Reed and Passyunk
Background: For ten years, Philadelphia photographer Zoe Strauss has shown her work in a museum without walls, a section of an underpass located beneath I-95 in South Philadelphia. Her annual one-day exhibition and her work is meant … Read more
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crazy duck hairdryer
Object: vintage hairdryer
Location: Moon and Arrow, a seasonal pop-up boutique on Fabric Row selling jewelry and vintage
Background: Check out the ad for the Crazy Duck (from Salton) hairdryer in this Pittsburgh Press ad from October 1990. Crazy is not to be confused with the … Read more
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septa token
Object: SEPTA token
Location: never in your pocket when you most need it
Background: Philadelphia is the last major American city where tokens are still in use—we’re a leader in heritage-based design, and unfortunately this includes our mass transit system. The use of tokens dates back to … Read more
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orange Tolix stool
Object: orange Tolix stool
Location: inside InFusion Coffee and Tea, Mt. Airy
Background: The Tolix was designed in 1934 by metalworker Xavier Pauchard for the deck of the S.S. Normandie ocean liner. (It’s interesting that Emeco’s aluminum chairs were also made for sea living—the Hanover, PA company … Read more
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maneki neko
Object: Maneki Neko cats
Location: window of a mani/pedi salon off of Head House Square
Background: The Maneki Neko cats have as many nicknames as this blog had potential titles. (I made a list of about forty.) The direct translation is “beckoning cat,” but it’s also called … Read more
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reclaimed pallet table
Object: reclaimed pallet table
Location: Eileen Tognini‘s studio at 2424 Studios in Fishtown
Background: Eileen is an independent curator who curates the monumental site-specific installations at 2424′s Skybox Gallery. In the more intimate environs of her studio, she continues the dialogue with smaller scale works by … Read more
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