wanted: the takeaway

congratulations to the winners' of this year's wanted product design: for travel!
















a huge mahalo to hawaiian airlines who awarded our top prize winner a round trip flight to the mainland U.S! reid shigemura of ho'okani music designed an ukulele that can easily be taken apart, essentially for the musician on-the-go.



we also give thanks to our community sponsors!

wanted [product] design : for travel

monogotari: a few minutes / with keith yurdana

n   i like that you mentioned how this group of work was a test for yourself to do something more whimsical (than the usual). 

k   in general, my work tends to be heavy, conceptual. its been called heavy and serious, almost grotesque. i used to reside in california and the northwest. but as of late, being in hawaii, color and light finds its way into my work and i just can’t get enough of the clouds. 

n   you gotta recognize paradise! 

so, we here have a string of words: living with art, that very much guides our way of thinking when it comes to design. what are your thoughts when it comes to living with art?

k   thats a great and odd question. first thought that comes to mind is the native american language where there really is no word for art. it just is, it’s ingrained in everything they do. i believe people are instinctively and constantly creative and find their own ways to tinker, think through life's changes. my work has to do with growth. when i can create something that speaks to a viewer i think ultimately- its nourishing.

keith yurdana: cloud machine 3, 4, 5 

keith yurdana: cloud machine 5

keith yurdana: cloud machine 4

also featured with keith in this month's show is gilles & louda larrain, and ann asakura.

gilles & louda larrain: queen wanatabula

gilles & louda larrain: la radeau dela medusa

above are two works from gilles and louda larrain's series: dark angels.

gilles larrain went from architecture to painting, to sculpture, to crafting culture and icons in new york city during the 60s.  larrain shares his series titled dark angels, an ongoing project with seeds in childhood memories slowly transformed.

ann asakura: sonomama

ann asakura: sonomama

ann asakura is the co-founder and executive director of TEMARI, center for asian and pacific arts, a 36-year old organization dedicated to perpetuating asian-pacific folk arts and their contemporary expressions. in monogatari, asakura explores the japanese concept of sonomama with her quilt sewn from re-purposed kimono textiles.

trunk show

etc inc

in 2011, in misty hilo, hawaii an old printing press behind the east hawaii cultural center sat idle. artists tobias brill and jerilee negrilo decided to open up the press once a week to the community and offer classes on printmaking. They also had a few young friends who wanted a place to work and from there the ETC INC collective grew. today, ETC INC features the works of lonny tomono, tobias Brill, kevin diminyatz, leslie samson-tabakin, rann sergeant, kawa harijan, jerilee negrillo and liv johnson.

jerilee negrilo explains, “ETC INC aesthetics speaks not only to the somewhat randomness of our work, but also that it is unfixed and unending. the one thing we have in common is that we are constantly making lots of work and we are not afraid to move into new directions. we are somewhat competitive with each other...quarreling can be found between us every now and then. however, lonny [tomono] is the glue that binds us. he has a personality that is always supportive and encouraging, and in the end, his way prevails. i suppose we are like a family in that way.”

fishcake opens its march exhibition with ETC INC on thursday march 19, 2015 from 6p - 8p at 307c kamani st in kakaako. parking is at lanai things lot and the reception is free.

etc inc is a group that shares ideas, inspiration, and methods of drawing and printmaking. they strive to inform, challenge and encourage each other to create work that embodies a personal view of contemporary life in hawaii. find more info at www.etc-inc.tumblr.com/.

and the first art exhibition of 2015 goes to...

just as tea has been a drink for sages, emperors and all classes of people from ancient times til now, so has the teahouse been a place for all people. from the solitary hermitage to the social gathering places of the rich and poor, teahouses have acted as a bridge into the cultures of the far east. they are gateways into philosophy, history and traditions, health, political and social interaction, and all of the arts from the visual to the written and performing arts.   in essence, teahouses have been bridges between people, connecting hearts and minds. artist, andrew binkley, offers a glimpse into this world through photographic prints taken from his soon to be released book china teahouse, which features over 500 photographs, spanning 300 pages and covering 21 teahouses in 10 locations throughout China. join us for the opening of CHA thursday, february 12 from 6p-8p live music by ejyptsun @fishcake in kakaako 307c kamani st honolulu hi 96813 parking at lanai things   in line with CHA, fishcake hosts north face ambassador and award-winning explorer jeff fuchs for puerh: the traveling tea on sunday, february 15 from 1p - 4p. fuchs was the first westerner to have travelled by foot on the legendary tea horse road over the himalayas and will speak on his experience coupled with tea tasting and demo of puerh sourced from ancient tibetan trees.  join us for tea demonstration with jeff fuchs sunday, february 15 from 1p-4p @fishcake in kakaako  307c kamani st honolulu hi 96813 parking at lanai things

we are featured as one of the best design + vintage stores in honolulu, according to conde nast traveler. yay! glad to be amongst friends. check it out here.