the mehallo blog. beta.

Made with Radium. Increases pleasure. From 1928.

More radioactive products here. And a few here.

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Roxy, c.1930

I finally made it over to the Depero 50 exhibit at the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. Discovered many of Fortunato Depero’s originals were an interesting mix of ink washes. Above is his view of NYC from 1930. When he finally visited the overgrown metropolis, it wasn’t the Futurist utopia he’d imagined. Also below, the number composition is a sketch for a series of Futurist pillows.

A great exhibition catalog can be had for only 20 bucks – and thanks to the docents for all their help. Show details.

Exhibition ends December 4, 2009.

Composizioni Numeriche, 1927

Campari, 1933

Italia – Guerra, 1916

Plus
Here’s more Depero over at designboom.

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, education, exhibitions // 1 comment  . . .   

Found via Leslie Cabarga

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Art Deco-styled locker numbers. Shot these while on a break from Friday Night Typography.

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A prototype Killinger und Freund motorcycle, built 1935 in Munich, Germany. Info here. Even more info here.

Found via Craig Maclaine

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Giacomo Balla (1871-1958) was one of the original Futurists. Above is his 1916 design for a Futurist handbag. And in 1986, Italian accessories manufacturer Borbonese actually interpreted/built the purse out of seude and bakelite (below).

Both will be on display as part of the exhibition Futurismi Futuristi, which opens December 15th, 2009 in Turin, Italy. Details (translated) here.

Found via ItalianFuturism.org; purse images via sfilate.it

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, fashion // 1 comment  . . .   

Classical Roman poet Ovid, bauhaus tinkerer Albers, provocative Futurist Marinetti  . . . .

Right now I’m enjoying the electronic music of UK-based Jack Marchment.

Having studied literary classics, Marchment has rechanneled his academic intensity into sound. ‘The whole idea of creating a music super-rich in intertexts is really a product of that approach.’

Consequently, Albers and Marinetti tracks appear on his latest release, the multi-dimensional Who’s Afraid Of Iannis Xenakis.

Aside from ear, the album’s cover (above) caught my eye. Designed by Joanna Lowndes, Marchment admits, ‘I had given her a fairly oppressive brief (with Marinetti at its core), but she delivered a sumptuous result.’

For more, here’s a great album review. One can also snag Marchment’s albums here.

Plus,
MySpace page here. His new label is on MySpace here. Video from his previous album, Corydon and Manjrekar, is below:

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, music // 5 comments  . . .   

The Russian Futurists are Toronto-based Matt Hart. Myspace here. Website here. Remixes here.

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Forward Russia is from the UK. Indie. MySpace here.

Found via Lance Webber

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Video for Hidden by Pentatones (above). Inshallah (below). Plus, ‘Documentation of the preEnter project of Pentatones and YouAreWatchungUs’ (below below).

Myspace here. The Pentatones are hooked up with the bauhaus label, collaborating with Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

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