I just thought I’d remind you that our Boulder based friends over at the Installation Shoe Gallery have just re-opened their doors with a new look as part of their “This Is How We Roll” show. If you weren’t able to make it to Saturday’s launch event or if you won’t be able to see the new installation in person, don’t fret. This time around, the show is transcending the art itself, as a great group of artists were each given two months with a pair of white canvas Vans Sk8 Hi’s– the customized kicks are currently for sale via an eBay auction, and the proceeds are going to Jeremiah Brooks, a Colorado skateboarder and friend of many who is currently battling back from a horrible accident. The featured artists include Lance Mountain, Jeremy Fish, Todd Bratrud, Dennis McNett, Matt “Putrid” Carr, Chris “PeeWee” Levy, Louis Schmidt, Brian Ball, Hoshi Ludwig, Dave Soderberg, Alvin Gregorio, Shane Rymer, and Vincent Comparetto– so go take a look at the shoes and place a bid. Get your hands on some custom, wearable art for a great cause!

Rarely do I get job-envy these days, but every time I see new work from Eoin McNally and Ian Walton, my eyes get a little greener. After all, I get to write about new design trends and releases (for example, their Glo Pillow, a few weeks back), but they actually get to create them. This time around, it’s the Cultivate System for Indoor Botanicals designed for the Miele-sponsored “Kitchens of the Future” project. Their Cultivate System is a series of hydroponic wall-mounted containers allow up to three plant units to grow indoors, nourished by your kitchen sink’s drain water. The best part? You need little to know gardening or cultivation knowledge– perfect if your last fire-escape veggie-growing project ended at the hands of your brown-thumbed roommate.

Via Inhabitat

We just got some great shots from the guys over at AM Radio of their latest project– this time, for PUMA’s F77 event last Sunday in Washington DC. The team combined their painting and design chops to create some kickass custom pingpong tables and paddles, infusing some much needed street-cred to the often bland world of tennis apparel. A few more photos after the jump.
Previously: Live Artwork for Adidas

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Spear Collective artist and super-good-friend of mine Jason Thielke has a show with Jeremy Wineberg at the Space Gallery in Denver. The artist reception is this coming Wednesday, May 9th from 6-10pm– if you make it, be sure to congratulate Thielke for his recent entrance into fatherhood. The work looks to be amazing…as always!

A fresh and free-to-use social shopping website, Greendeavor is moving us in the right (eco-friendly) direction with regard to our consumer behavior. This site is a hybrid of a social network and a shopping rewards program– you can connect through others to aid your understanding of sustainable shopping, help others with their assimilation, and create powerful community centric networks to build broad-based awareness. As you shop within the site and earn rewards points, you’ll be simultaneously offsetting your carbon emissions and can monitor your friends’ progress as well. The site offers additional resources in their “Learn, Live, and Act” sections in the form of helpful educational, sustainable living, and advocacy resources for members. There are already some great brands and retailers on board with the site like The Discovery Channel, Nau, Nalgene, Puma and REI. I applaud Founder Adriaan Zimmerman and his team for a job well done on the launch and wish them the best moving forward with the development and evolution of Greendeavor.

While we cover some eclectic music on this site, the focus on Latin sounds is rare (save for my most recent post on Los Amigos Invisibles). It’s a shame really because not only is there original Latin-inspired sounds coming from the US as abroad, but there is also traditionally non-Latin music being rejuvenated with a that distinctive flavor. Motown Remixed Volume 2 reinvents classic Motown tracks with contemporary Latin styles from Raggaeton to Latin House. Admittedly, I was worried the moment I put in the CD and hit play. I was afraid that they would take something so recognizable so much a part of American music history and would try to reinvent with Latin beats. Motown does not need to be reinvented but if done right, it can benefit from a stylized interpretation. I am glad to report that much attention was given to preserving the integrity of the classics while being both fun and refreshing. The album brings together Latin superstar producers (SPK, Andres Levin, Cliff Cristofaro, etc) and musicians (Los Amigos Invisibles, Yerba Buena, Funky Junction). For a CD that will definitely turn heads and prompt questions from your friends and co-workers, pick up your copy later this month.

Late last week I had a chance to check out the two-week-old Tirana, a club in Sao Paulo’s center district. As soon as I entered, I felt an instant wave of nostalgia hit when I reached the second-story venue. It wasn’t just the music (rock, which varies from classic, ’80s and post depending on the night) but the setup of the place itself: dozens of chairs and tables, a separate dance area and two spacious, adjoining rooms that plainly urge you to sit down and relax. This is the type of bar my friends and I like to hang out at when I’m in L.A. Tito Ficarelli, one of the owners, said the goal was to create a space where people could do just that. It’s a different twist on how a lot of clubs are designed here, in which the dance floor takes up the majority of a space. The club and its logo are designed under a mix of communist and homosexual iconography, which co-owner Zoca Moraes explained were chosen in part because they were two social movements that have really upset conservative capitalism. Moraes is a self-proclaimed communist who took part in political movements in the ’70s against the ruling government at the time, so this approach reflects the message Tirana wants to get across: Everyone is welcome. I’ll be back with fellow wallflower friends in tow. Tirana is located on Avenida Sao Joao, 1413, Centro, Sao Paulo.