Launching today is The Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk public art exhibition featuring 32 designer crafted originals displayed on custom-built Ralph Pucci mannequins. The ‘runway’ stretches on Broadway from Times Square to Macy’s along side the appointed outdoor seating in the Garment Center that New Yorkers and tourists enjoy every summer. Designers, making their bold statements, used materials not only decorative but also suitable for the environment that should naturally degrade.

The eclectic mix is iconic to the individual designer brands with a few bringing a little levity to the business of fashion. The catwalk is on display from June 24 to September 3 and for more information about designers, sponsors and auction visit the website.

Yeohlee Teng for The Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk

Yeohlee Teng for The Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk

Elie Tahari for The Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk

Thom Browne for The Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk

Kenneth Cole for The Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk

With views of Lower Manhattan and New Jersey, Lumen, the cutting-edge art and projection festival will takeover Staten Island! Transforming the industrial waterfront, global and Staten Island artists plan to exhibit video, projection, animation and beyond!

Artist Alex Villar

Presented by the Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island, Lumen will take place from 4pm-12am on Saturday, June 26th at 561 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY. Lumen is part of SUMMER-FEST, a series of free arts events across Staten Island sponsored, in part, by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

Performance artist Adina Bier

This is a list of the scheduled Lumen events: Performances by Grace Exhibition Space from 4pm-12am Sound and video performances by HZ Collective from 8pm-10pm, Sponsored tasting by Brooklyn Brewery from 9pm-11pm, featuring sound performance by Jennida Chase. Artist led walks will start at the SI Ferry Terminal starting at 4pm, and ending at 10:30pm.

Another participating artist is Alison Berkoy who presented her ghostly projections entitled In the Belly of the Lightship recently at Fountain.

The event site of Lumen is located at Atlantic Salt 561 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10301. Visit the website to view more of the compelling artists and direction information.

Artists Brendan Coyle and Steven Lapcevic for animation/performance “Clowntrodden”

Brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight of Rapanui

Fashion by definition espouses change. Toward the end of the last decade, emphasis was just placed on the fashion savvy trading-up, the craft or lightning trends; but the 21st century fashion brands are bringing social conscience creativity to the design and manufacturing equation! The eco-cool Isle of Wight based brand, Rapanui founded by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 is fast becoming one of the greenest fashion companies.

With degrees in Business Administration and Renewable Energy the Drake-Knight brothers established Rapanui to be amongst the Top 100 Startups of 2008 and winning the 2010 Sustainable Business Award. With a strict commitment to sustainability, Rapanui applies the entire lifecycle to fashion, crafting street-smart designs with certified organic fabrics, fair-trade and renewable energy.

As fashion designers and retailers are pressured to bring their products quickly to competitive markets, airing shipments from the four corners of the globe is the norm and brings a tremendous financial expense but also a heavy carbon footprint. As you shop the Rapanui on-line store, each design includes a ‘traceability feature’ where you can chart the eco-manufacturing and finishing considering the eco-impact from start to finish.

Beginning with Asian eco-audited suppliers, materials are boated saving about 90% of carbon emission but may take longer than flight. Very different from the established industry practices, Rapanui factors the multi-level green decisions beyond just the design.

If you’re near the Isle of Wight, Rapanui’s headquarters is open to the public offering a studio tour along with, of course, tea and cake.

Rapanui Lifecycle

Rapanui’s Motura Hemp Jacket

Take a look at, one of my favorites, the Motura Hemp Jacket lifecycle plus traceability and visit the Rapanui site for more details.

China’s hemp crop field

The hemp bales

Hemp yarn spools ready for weaving

Hemp yarn weaved into fabric in Shanghai textile mill

The finished hemp fabric

Rapanui Traceability

Charting the freight

John C. Reilly at BAM

While the summer blockbuster films may have lost their luster or at least receipts, indie film festivals are rich in Brooklyn. One of them, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s CinemaFEST sponsored by the Wall Street Journal transformed from a neighborhood event to an industry happening.

The opening night film, Cyrus, directed by the Duplass brothers and starring John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, and Catherine Keener brought a little indie glitterati to BAM. Even I got caught up in the paparazzi joining the photogs with my point and shoot and captured this shot of Reilly. The film’s screening in the Howard Gilman Opera House added to the festivities with opening remarks from the filmmakers, WSJ and BAM president, Karen Brooks Hopkins. The event finished with a terrific party in the lobby and the Bamcafé with plenty of libations by Brooklyn Brewery.

Cyrus has created a buzz with the director’s style of filmmaking known as mumblecore, a DIY form of storytelling. Think this generation’s homage to John Cassavetes lofi improvisational films. And with the backing of Fox Searchlight brought some star power to the production. Cyrus takes on the situation comedy love story genre about a divorced and depressed guy who meets the perfect woman, and later learns she lives with her 21 year old son.

Cyrus has great moments by the actors creating interesting characters especially working without formal dialogue from the director’s broad story outline. This all leads to different style of narrative or more collaborative between actor, writer and director. As film attempts to be our reflection capturing subtle nuances, I liked this video review from Film discussing and debating script or no script.

BAMcinemaFEST continues through June 20, 2010.

Howard Gilman Opera House

The after party in the BAM lobby

The party continues in the BAMcafé

Amazing DJ: Timothy Assam

Artist Kyu Seok Oh, paper sculpture installation, Arts In Bushwick Open Studios

Brooklyn’s Arts In Bushwick Open Studios event last weekend always promises a post art school happening in the former industrial warehouse spaces. A decade ago, taking the L to Bedford in Williamsburg was home to shared artist lofts, but now, you’ll need to travel further. Morgan Avenue one of the main hubs, brings back memories of the 70s in Soho with the nondescript exteriors but beyond the bolted metal doors are brilliantly open spaces, high ceilings, and weathered wooden floors creating an artist oasis. Even with the lower rents, like-minded artists band together, forming collectives, to help fund their pursuits while promoting each other’s work.

My art companion, Stacy and I toured the show on Sunday experiencing tranquil settings of Kyu Seok Oh’s paper covered objects, hypnotic trances from Rob de Oude, humored by the meticulous Vahge collages or just enjoying ginger infused Vodka in specially designed shot glasses by Suite 232 with glasses included!

Later in August look for Kyu Seok Oh’s sheep sculptures herding in Times Square through September!

Suite 232, Arts In Bushwick Open Studios

Artist Vahge, collage, Arts In Bushwick Open Studios

Artist Rob de Oude, Hyperbolic Dissection / 1 – 2010 – oil on panel – 14” x 14”, Arts In Bushwick Open Studios

© The Impossible Project, photo credit: Lia Saile

Video DIDN’T kill the radio star and digital photography doesn’t seem to kill analog film! Reading last weekend’s Guardian.co.uk article Elegy for the Polaroid describing the auction house sales of celebrity photographer polaroids from the 2008 collapsed Polaroid Corporation, my nephew Will pointed me in the direction of Impossible, the next generation of Polaroid film.

In October 2008 The Impossible Project saved the last Polaroid production plant for Integral Instant film in Enschede (NL) and started to re-invent and re-produce a new instant film for traditional Polaroid Cameras. Following in the footsteps of founder Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid technology, introduced their monochrome film series as the posted images represent.

Reading the most recent press release, The Impossible Project will be launching a color film series. Visit the website to learn more about the renaissance!

© The Impossible Project, photo credit: Lia Saile

© The Impossible Project, photo credit: Lia Saile

© The Impossible Project, photo credit: Lia Saile

© The Impossible Project, photo credit: Lia Saile

© The Impossible Project, photo credit:Zora Strangefields

© The Impossible Project

A slide from DESIGNTEX comparing a product’s cycle to nature’s life cycle

Carol Derby of DESIGNTEX

Spec It Green presented by NYIRN, New York Industrial Retention Network, hosted a panel presentation and discussion by NYC green industry experts from fashion and interiors at the Carnegie showroom this week. Speakers included a range of perspectives from Carnegie Fabrics, GIDC, Designtex, Textile Insight Magazine, and RESTORE Clothing.

Sustainability, at times, has been ‘greenwashed’ by some marketeers, disingenuously promoting their products and practices profiting by the trend. But the evening’s mission was accomplished defining that a sustainable design impacts social, environmental and economic layers.

Anthony Lilore of RESTORE

‘Doing the right thing’ was the reoccurring theme from all the presenters sharing that recycled and organic textiles, fair wages and production non-pollutants can increase costs that may result in higher prices but ultimately raises the value of the product’s life cycle and the producer’s social conscience.

‘The local advantage’ was another concept presented by GDIC, The Garment Industry Development Corporation, that supports fashion companies like RESTORE Clothing to manufacture locally in the Garment Center. GDIC partners with designers to suggest local factories based on their needs. While overseas contractors may offer lower costs to assemble and source products, their large minimums and longer lead times sometimes become less agile in the ‘new’ economy. And without supporting local suppliers the minuscule 4% of garments produced in the US compared to the 96% manufactured globally, the Garment Center is looking for a transfusion.

To continue the conversation use the Resource Links below and learn more about the organic, sustainable and local movement. And a thank you to designer and educator Helen Liu for introducing Spec It Green to me.

Networking at the Spec It Green event in the Carnegie showroom

Resource Links

José Villalón, Scream Dream – Lotus Offering, 29.5×29.5in

Last night, artist couple José Villalón and Rakel Terceño of The Six Betweens Art Collective debut Villalón’s collection of collage, paintings and drawings at their Harlem studio. Working from a space in a recently converted schoolhouse on 142nd St and 5th Avenue, the creative team hosted friends, family and art community colleagues.

Villalón, self-taught, approaches his work in a truly instinctive expression, mixing multi-cultural and personal references into colorful, bold, graphic and often lyrical statements. The effect of Villalón’s installation shares with the viewers his personal journey of self-discovery establishing an exciting creative voice.

Visit Villalón’s website for a complete overview and read about the The Six Betweens Art Collective.

José Villalón, a drawing from the series “Home”

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These are part of a series of drawings completed in the span of about a year. The motivation behind them was that of attempting to convey and create my personal concept of “home”, and simultaneously explore the consciousness and feelings that are born from inhabiting that home space in a creative state of mind, solitary and reflective. The invaluable intimacy and creativity born from the feeling of being at home can be seen in all of nature as it contracts and expands, explodes and implodes, in chaos and order toward a comfort zone.

José Villalón

Artist José Villalón photographed by Rakel Terceño

Photographed in NYC Meatpacking District

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I’ve used red lipstick as a wonderful decoration to accessorize and everyone says, ‘I love it’ and ‘it makes me feel good…But for these kids in Cambodia who are sex slaves, it’s the complete opposite.

Michael Angelo

Sandwiched between Diane Von Furstenburg and The Standard Hotel, these stylish lips decorate a brick exterior in NYC’s savvy conscience Meatpacking District. But as you Google The Lipstick Portraits photographic series by Michael Angelo, you understand the double entendre.

The series on view at 401 Projects until May 23, depicts Angelo’s subjects using red lipstick to illustrate the atrocity that enslaved Cambodian girls sold into the sex trade are marked by wearing red lipstick.

View the facebook page, read the press release and visit Somaly Mam Foundation for more information about the cause.