PURE* Computers and Amplifiers. High Tech With High Style from Amsterdam.

Four years ago, I wrote a post on these unusual ceramic encased computers and amplifiers from Plush Department. Since that time, they have updated the technical specs so that the computers and amplifiers have up-to-date capabilities like BluRay, VOIP and video conferencing.

Together with Dutch designer Vince Vijsma and Cor Unum Plush Department created the first PURE* ceramic computer cases. The PURE* line extends into many colors and metal coatings such as bronze, platinum and pure gold. This is actually one of the big advantages of ceramic as a base material. PURE*s are cubic in shape with friendly rounded edges that integrate perfectly into any style environment - only the port for entering a DVD or CD remains recognizable as a tech interface.

The PURE* Computers and amplifiers are available in Delft Blue, White, Black, Bronze, Gold-plated and a special edition by Graffiti artist Zender, all shown here.


PURE* Delft Blue


The Koninklijke Delftsche Aardewerkfabriek (Royal Delft Pottery) “De Porceleyne Fles Anno 1653” N.V. (Royal Delft) is the leading producer of authentic Delft Blue ornamental earthenware and modern earthenware. The Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles is the only remaining factory of 32 earthenware factories that were established in the 17th century.



Plushdepartment’s PURE is a piece of modern earthenware with a retro authentic view. Plush Department gave De Porceleyne Fles the assignment to create a motif that really fitted the shape of the PURE* and a Dutch design look. Very recognizable all over the world, but never seen on a computer, ever.

The Plush Department PURE* Delft Blue numbered, signed and certified by the Royal Porceleyne Fles and are rare collector items.

PURE* Gold
126 grams to be exact. The factory has to be emptied of all workers since gold is a heavy metal and only trained people are allowed to handle it under this conditions according to Dutch law.



In the Netherlands there is one such person. The gold layer is a 100% gold glazing, there is no dilution of any kind. It is actually one of the purest forms of the rare metal.




PURE* Bronze
Many cultures produced works of high art using bronze. In Africa the bronze heads of the Kingdom of Benin, in Europe; Grecian bronzes typically of figures from Greek mythology. In East Asia chinese bronzes of the Shang and Zhou dynasty - more often ceremonial vessels but including some figurine examples.



Bronze was significant to any culture that encountered it. It was one of the most innovative alloys of mankind.




The bronze glaze comes alive in every lighting situation, a unique quality hardly found in any other material.


PURE* White
An object of excellence combines form and function.




The big advantage of ceramic is the sheer endless possibilities one has with glazing.
Because of that it is possible to create the perfect color for each interior design.

PURE* Black



PURE* Zender


The modern artist Sander Pappot, also known as Zender, is based in Amsterdam and well known for his multilayered art that is very hip and stylish with retro influences.




Zender used to be part of the underground Amsterdam graffiti scene and known for his own unique style. Nowadays he runs his own graphic agency and has clients worldwide.




Plushdepartment asked him to go back to his roots again, and gave him a PURE computer and amplifier to handpaint in his own streetstyle.

About the computers:
The Plush Department PURE* computers are built for high definition media usage. With a PURE* you can watch BluRay disks, DVD’s, listen to CD’s and MP3's and present your photo’s and video’s. The Plush Department PURE* computers can also automatically “rip” those disks to your hard drive for easy access later on.

The PURE* computer is also perfect for each form of communication like email, chatting, voice over IP and video conferencing. Of course you can use your PURE* also for surfing the internet and all the office applications that you usually use.

Combine the PURE* computer with the PURE* amplifier and you possess also a audiophile sound environment. The combination enables you to replace all those HiFi installations, set top boxes and the half dozen remote controls one needed up to now with more possibilities and better image and audio quality.

The ceramic casings:
Cor Unum is the Dutch company that is world famous for their ceramic production for artists. Their mission is to produce the most beautiful pieces of earthenware, drawn by the national and international respected designers of today. Quality without compromise, technical expertise almost without limitation. All to provide their clients with the pleasure of enjoying ceramic art at the highest level. When Plush Department started the search for the case producer, no other company dared to touch the design, since square forms are extremely difficult to create in ceramic material. It took one year to realize the PURE* cases.

Computer Technical Specs:
Inside the Plush Department PURE* lineup you will find balanced highend components. Each selected part is chosen for it's excellence in it's field. Some parts even had to be developed like the PSU which is designed by the electrical engineer of ichbinleise.de.

Processor: Intel Dual Core 2,93GHz with Hyperthreading this CPU is very powerful yet very energy efficient.
Motherboard: Intel P57 chipset hightech board of superb quality.
Graficcard: High Definition 1080P with DVI HDMI connection
Harddisk operating system: INTEL SSD 80GB X25-M G2 Postville 240MB/s very fast SATA II interface.
Harddisk datastorage: 2TB (2000GB) with fast SATA II interface.
Memory: 4GB (2x2048MB) highend Dual Channel RAM.
Sound: 8 channels with HD audio and Digital SPDIF
Network: 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN connection including a fast wifi N solution.
Connections: 8xUSB 2.0, LAN, eSATA and WiFi.
Optical: Bluray player CD DVD writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit

All this makes the PURE*computers very powerful and reliable and enables you to work fast, enjoy emerging graphics, store thousands of files, MP3's, data, photos or movies. You can easily connect to other computers in your network.You can play at home or online.

PURE* computers contain the same technology that you find in the ikbenstil.nl computers. Ikbenstil uses the best available cooling technology to create extremely silent highend computers. At the same time those computers are very stable, energy efficient and fast.

Because of this technology it is possible to use Plush Department computers in every living or working space.

Amplifier Specs:
What do you look for in a power amplifier? Bet it's the sound. The amplifier modules used in the PHONO are designed from the ground up for true fidelity by Hypex Electronics.

Features
Flat, fully load-independent frequency response
Low output impedance
Very low, frequency-independent THD
Very low noise
Consistent top performer in listening trials including class A and SET amplifiers
Runs on unregulated +/- rails
Pop-free start and stop control
Differential audio input
Overcurrent and overvoltage
LM4562 National buffer op amp
Audiophile capacitors

Technology:
The amplifier modules circuit is based on phase-shift controlled self-oscillation, with only a single voltage feedback control loop taking off at the loudspeaker terminals. The control function is constructed fully out of passive components, with only the comparator standing in for gain.

Item Symbol Spec Notes
Output Power PR 180W 4Ω, THD=1%
Distortion THD <0.1% typ Po< PR/2 <0.008% typ Po=1W Noise Un 30uV typ Frequency Response <10Hz-50kHz +0,-3dB Output Impedance Zo <20mΩ f=1kHz <150mΩ f=20kHz Efficiency η >92%
Supply Ripple Rejection PSRR 65dB Both rails



Plushdepartment

Visit them at:
The Plushdepartment Store
Dukdalfweg 30
1041BE Amsterdam
The Netherlands

E-mail: info@plushdepartment.com
Telephone +31-20-3301345

KAWS Designs Signature Light Bulbs for The Standard That You Can Buy For Your Home.

The Standard Hotel has announced a Limited Edition series of light bulbs designed specifically for them by artist KAWS. This is the first time KAWS has created an item so unique compared to his existing body of work which includes the highly coveted toys, shoes, T-shirts, wallets, etc.


above: KAWS is well known for replacing the eyes in many of his pieces with the double XXs used as the filaments in the bulbs

“I love The Standard and the different projects they have been doing” shares KAWS, “when invited to create something I wanted to redesign something basic that could be found in every hotel room in the world so we decided to make a light bulb.”



above two images of bulbs in situ courtesy of Curated Mag.



The collection of light bulbs come as a set of three - Red, Purple, and Green filaments bearing the KAWS’ signature XX. Dimensions of each globe is about 4.75” x 2.25” and they screw into any standard incandescent fixture. Each bulb is crystal clear emanating 3 watts of electricity for a dreamy low light experience.



$65 for a package of three, one in each color*.
Buy the KAWS bulbs here.

*Sadly these sold out very quickly and now can be found for exorbitant prices on eBay. However, I bet they end up producing more.

Wicked New Dominos. The Skin & Bones Set with Hinged Box and Original Artwork by Jeremy Fish.

The new Skin & Bones Domino Set by illustrator and artist Jeremy Fish of Superfishal is a wicked looking 28 piece set of dominoes in its own cool case.



Each domino is glossy black with metallic gold dots and Jeremy's artwork featured on the back.



The Skin & Bones Domino Set comes in a glossy black magnetic locking hinged box measuring 8 x 5 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches with Jeremy Fish's custom image printed in metallic gold on the top:


The video below, "Skin & Bones Domino Rally," was shot by Sean Desmond to promote the new Skin & Bones Domino Set for Tott Global.

buy the Dominoes here at Upper Playground. ($38.99)
or here at Tools of The Trade ($39.99)

For those of you in the San Francisco area, there will be an official Skin & Bones Release Party tonight ( Thursday Nov 17th) at Txoko.

KAWS and Hennessy Release A Second Cognac Bottle Design Exclusively for Colette.

Hennessy, the cognac house founded in 1765 collaborated with artist Kaws for limited edition "collector" bottle (shown below) which you might have seen on such culture blogs as Hypebeast and Nitrolicious.



Now, a "special" version made specifically for Colette, published in 213 copies exclusively for 213 rue Saint-Honoré.



The Special Kaws X Hennessy bottle for Colette (shown below) will be available at Colette and online starting November 21st. (50€).



Produced and bottled in Cognac, France.

You can use the Hennessy Kaws locator on their facebook page to find the first KAWS Hennessy Cognac Bottle.

The Private Property Collection Of Graffiti Artist Designed Furniture From Alife X Uhuru.

New York Art Department's PRIVATE PROPERTY is a collaborative project between downtown New York lifestyle brand ALIFE and Brooklyn-based contemporary furniture manufacturer Uhuru (perhaps you recall the post I did on Uhuru's Coney Island furniture line).



The exhibition, which was at The Hole in New York's Bowery, featured sustainable furniture by Graffiti artists Earsnot (Ear) Irak, Semen (Semen Irak aka SeMeN SPeRmS), Jim Joe, KR (Craig Costello aka Krink), Max Fish (Bar and Art Gallery) & ALIFE.



The PRIVATE PROPERTY furniture collection consists of the following pieces:


EARSNOT AND SEMEN IRAK:


EARSNOT IRAK Antique MOD Mirror:
Antique Mod Mirror, steel-framed, floor-length mirror. Etched by EARSNOT, President of NYC's IRAK Crew. Dimensions: 30"x80"Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Edition of 2. $7500



SEMEN IRAK Antique MOD Mirror:
Antique Mod Mirror, steel-framed, floor-length mirror. Scratched and cracked by SEMEN of NYCʼs IRAK Crew. Dimensions: 30"x80" Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Edition of 2. $7500

Artists Earsnot and Semen at work on the mirrors:





MAX FISH


MAX FISH Slab table and chairs:
One-of-a-kind hardwood slab set on trapezoid steel legs with 4 1X1 metal and wood chairs. Marked by Max Fish patrons overthe month of April 2011.Table dimension: 84"x42"x29.5", Chair dimension: 17"x18"W x35"Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. One-of-a-kind. $25,000







JIM JOE:


JIM JOE on LAP Coffee Table:
1/4" Aluminum plate and solid wood 3"x3" base. Drawn on by Jim Joe.
Dimensions: 46"x46"x16" Signed by the artist and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Edition of 4. $7500


underside of the coffee table:


Artist Jim Joe at work on the coffee table:



additional images of Jim Joe coffee table courtesy of Seth Lassman's (Setlasmon) fabulous sets on Flickr

KR aka Krink aka Craig Costello:


KR on SUMMER SNOW Benches:
Solid Ash tops over 1"x1/2" steel tubing powder coated white. Painted by Craig Costello. Dimensions: 60"x16"x18"Signed by the artist and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Edition of 5. $7500




ALIFE NYC:


ALIFE NY CRACK Table:
1/4" steel plate with 1/2" glass top. Dimensions: Base: 26.5"x41"x15.5" Top: 48"x34" Signed and numbered. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Edition of 15. $3600



ALIFE Metal STOOLEN:
A metal version of Uhuruʼs signature stool, created in 4 custom colors for ALIFE.Dimensions: 16"x18"Signed and numbered. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Edition of 15. $1800



About the Metal Stoolen: The Metal Stoolen was created using scraps of steel from Brooklyn area metal shops. Bundled together haphazardly and encased in a ring of longer pieces, the hollow ends of metal form the objectʼs top. This produces a dynamic pattern filled with highly charged empty space. The effect is like a photonegative of the original Stoolen. The eye-catching powder coating adds to the pieceʼs sculptural quality and highlights the tension between positive and negative space.



(NY Mag) PRIVATE PROPERTY brings together high-end sustainable furniture design and downtown New York graffiti culture: The project counts on the participation of infamous graffiti writers EARSNOT, SEMEN, JIM JOE and KR; legendary Lower East Side hang out Max Fish and its unruly clientele; and lifestyle brand ALIFE—all of whom have produced self-titled pieces.


To be displayed for sale during New York Design Week, the idea behind the project began as a friendly conversation between Alife and New York Art Department founders Robert Cristofaro and Arnaud Delecolle, and Uhuru founders Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf. The four agreed to collaborate and create a New York-centric project that would represent all partiesʼ respective areas of expertise.

The result is a unique collection of handcrafted sustainable furniture that plays with the concept of vandalism, private property and each's appropriation of the other. PRIVATE PROPERTY is produced by creative consultancy and design company New York Art Department with support of lifestyle brand-consultancy company WhY-Q.

"The collaboration between ALIFE and Uhuru creates a dialogue between designers and artists, Urban landscapes and interiors. Ultimately, it will aim at producing a merging of viewpoints to challenge conceptions between fine art and furniture," says Jason Horvath.

“This project allows ALIFE to play and execute with yet another medium. This is the first time ALIFE applies its vision to furniture, but it's something we've wanted to do for a long time. It's more quality content from the ʻalifevisionʼ,” says Arnaud Delecolle.

“The artists selected for this project represent Alifeʼs vision of the New York graff scene. Each individual chosen in this lineup is recognized within the New York downtown lifestyle as a trailblazer in his respective niche. Whether it be manufacturer of art supplies, DJ to the “Downtown”, wordsmith or just an infamous personality within the graffiti scene, all have all paid dues and contributed to this art form,” says Rob Cristofaro.

"Getting involved with NYAD to produce Private Property was a no brainer for WhY-Q. For the past 10+ years WhY-Q has produced avant-garde events such as Ryan McGinley's first solo exhibition & the NY Minute Exhibition in Rome, we felt this was one of those events: Real New York street art collaborating with real New York high end furniture design. It hasn't been done before," says Why-Q Partner Teddy Liouliakis.

Alife opened in 1999. One of its main goals then was to showcase people around it whose work enriched our lives with original ideas and the honest commitment to the qualitative execution of those ideas, independently of the medium. From fashion to graffiti, this was the criteria we lived by. Also, we had to like the end product.

the press release:
New York Art Department, 201 —The artists and contributors that are part of this project meet these same requirements and were asked to participate because of their contribution to the downtown graffiti scene:

Earsnot and Semen Sperms of the infamous IRAK crew. Over the years, both—each in their own way--have destroyed vast amounts of private property with undisputed flair and attitude, represented here with two of the most destructive marking techniques.

Craig KR Costello, a downtown ambassador of good taste and purveyor of fine inks and markers to street vandals and studio artists alike, brings controlled chaos with his well-known and often imitated KRINK drips.

A witty newcomer with art school charm, JIM JOE showcases the melding of art education, graffiti culture and his personal obligation to illegally write his name and phrases everywhere, as evidenced by the threatening note attached to The Hole gallery door by a neighbor.

Legendary Lower East Side watering hole and artist safe haven, Max Fish and its patrons provide us with the colorful impromptu composition of layered drunken vandalism characteristic of its bathrooms on Ludlow street.

Finally, Alife comes in as the curator and long-time supporter of the scene with its stamp of approval: NY CRACK



ALIFE X UHURU DESIGN: PRIVATE PROPERTY ran from MAY 14 – MAY 17, 2011, some of the items are now up for auction at Blacklots.

images courtesy of Alife, Uhuru, High Snobiety, Metro Velvet and Alife on Flickr.