TATOO TAPE AZUMI AND DAVID

I'm a big fan of Azumi and David. Not just because they are from my local neighbourhood in London's east (Broadway Market), but because their work continues to be witty and clever. You know when you come across a great idea when a) you wish you thought of it or b) it seems really obviously a great idea.


Enter Azumi and David's Tatoo tape. It features all the classic elements of classic tattoo art for people to go to town in experimenting with what suits them best. Too chicken to get a real tattoo? then this is perfect for you.


I particularly love the photos showing all the possibilities.



And i have to say, my favourite are the nipple piercings shown above. Hilarious!


Azumi and David are not new to the world of tape, i have featured some of their other tape creations earlier on in this blog. (including Shade tape) If you want to check out more of their stuff which includes accessories and apparel, here is their site: http://www.azumianddavid.com

A fellow tape fan Ellen Schinderman who makes some extremely cute and slightly rude pillows has sent me some photos from a piece she recently saw in sf's north beach (which i gather stands for San Francisco). These pieces for from the corner of 'Grant and Green' for anyone in the neighbourhood who wants to see them in real life.


I really love the quality of tape which allows anything layered on top to jump out graphically and this coupled with the temporary qualities of tape mean that you are not technically breaking the law by sticking tape on the floor and writing on it, so it would be a great medium for graffiti artists with a conscience or thinking of entering the law profession.


In a way this art / piece reminds me of my Poem on a Roll tape which i made in collaboration with Wai Lee and my poet friend Charles Bainbridge. This tape is still selling at Beyond the Valley at off Carnaby street in London... or if anyone want to buy some directly from me, please get in touch.


The messages are clean and simple and graphically beautiful. The kind of stuff you see in big cities when you wander around with no particular aim. Right now i am in New York, residing in lovely and lively williamsburg. I am sitting right by the W'burg bridge right now on a roof surrounded by graffiti and watching the J and M trains rattle by every few minutes. Soon i will be riding to Queens and maybe i'll spot some more tape inspired art.


Its true and how i feel right now: "Since there is no escaping the madness, why don't we embrace it"


If you spot some tape art in your neighbourhood, please email me some pics and i promise to post it.

x

DUCT TAPE IPHONE CASE

Recently i was fortunate enough to be the reciprocant of a hand made protective case for my iphone. My phone was naked for a week or so since my previous case kicked the bucket.


Sometimes i research and write about the latest designs and trends in technology accessories for my day job (when i'm not thinking about tape) so people find it slightly humorous that i have this practically anti-design case for my iphone.


I thought it was only appropriate that i have this hand-made case for my phone as its the earliest iphone that came out over 3 years ago and it practically doesn't even work any more. It does mysterious things like switch itself off mid-phone-call, take 10 minutes to start the camera and the battery, well the battery has its own unique personality.


There are a few clever little design features such as good access to the charging port at the base of the phone, with the surprising ability to not let the phone slip out. The design walks a fine line between being unsupportive and inaccessible. It succeeds with flying colours in my opinion. Its not just because my significant other made it for me with love and care on a rainy day when she got home from work before me.


When i text or email its a little difficult to reach the letters on the edge of the screen such as the 'A', 'Q', 'P' and 'L' keys, but i have started to get used to this and don't deem it to be too much of a problem these days.


The case is made up of multiple layers of duct tape otherwise known as silver gaffer tape. Small pieces which overlap, fold and provide support for this piece of shit phone that doesn't even deserve it. Cleverly there is a phone escape hatch at the top where you pull one piece across and one piece down and the phone can be taken out completely for events such as a change of sim card or a little back rub.

The additional benefit of this phone case is that it is a conversation piece as well as it seems to deter anyone from wanting to knick my phone, as it makes it look shabby chic without the chic. All this being said. i love it.

TAPE HOOKS

These tape hooks by Torafu Architects just show how obsessed people can get with the stuff (ie. me) Its such a sweet low key idea and clearly inspired by the minimal simplicity yet highly effective sticky stuff that i write about on this blog.


Of course the designers are Japanese, its really has a Japanese aesthetic, apparently the hooks are formed by using tape and allowing the tape to dry in the curled up shape.


Each piece is actually made out of paper which take on the characteristics of tape. I think they are perfect for hanging small little items up on the wall like is shown in these images.




Quite adorable huh?! Read more about this here: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/05/20/tapehook-by-torafu-architects/

CLAIRE ELLERY - ARTIST AND THE MAKING

Claire Ellery is a New Zealand artist who uses quite a lot of tape in her work. I really love her sketchbook project where she uses tape to layer and create texture and a third dimension.


I am a massive fan of sketch books, the artist's personal playground where i think most of the best ideas are conceived. Doodling, scribbling, creating and just playing is where it all happens.


Its so nice to see process in the making and I love the vividness of these photos of Claire's sketchbooks. Specifically how she uses tape to colourblock sections as well as stick things on.


The portraits made using elements of a variety of tape including brown packing tape, electrical tape and stickers make the art accessible and fun as well as textural and vivid.


I'd love to see the whole book, but glad to be able to post these beauties here.


Check out more of Claire Ellery's work on her blog: Artist and the making - http://claireellery.blogspot.com/


Last but not least is another of Claire's pieces using brown packing tape... perhaps she has had nightmares about libraries!