Friday Finds 11.06.2009

Aaron: Posters by Simon Page

My favorite Internet find this week is this batch of retro-futuristic posters by Simon Page used to promote The International Year of Astronomy. The minimal graphics and just a handful of earthy colors really capture a scientific sense of the cosmos without relying on overcooked sci-fi tropes. What's more the whole thing invokes the sense of wonder and possibility I associate with Space Race-era NASA without any of the busy arm patches or the blinking lights of Mission Control. Makes me want to watch Gattaca again. via Kitsune Noir

Michele: Paper Pie

This week, I came across Paper Pie, the blog of Los Angeles artist and fabric designer Liz Scott. She recently blogged about redoing her studio. Her bright printed fabrics (my favorites are Blue Diamonds, above, and Aqua Daisies) in mod motifs are just right for making a winter project that hints of spring.

Miyoko: The Real Good Experiment

This week, Minnesota–based furniture company Blu Dot launched The Real Good Experiment. Prompted by opening a store in SoHo in 2008 and suggestions from their Minnesotan friends at Mono (which do their PR and communications), Blu Dot decided to see what would happen when you left 25 Real Good Chairs on the streets of New York City. Many of the chairs are GPS-equipped and you can follow their travels at twitter.com/realgoodchair or watch them on the move in real time via the Google Map at realgood.bludot.com. Looking forward to seeing where these chairs find their homes!

Sarah: Brainwave Sofa

Data visualization is way cool as graphic illustration, but it might even be cooler as furniture. The Brain Wave Sofa, designed by Lucas Maassen and Dries Verbruggen of Unfold, depicts three seconds of brain activity captured on an EEG, then milled as a chunk of foam and hand-felted. The sofa is on display until December 4 as part of the Bits 'n' Pieces exhibition in Brooklyn, sponsored by Material Connexion, which explores the convergence of digital technology and design. How convenient that our brain waves make nice little pits and valleys—the better to lounge in. via Wired.com

Jordan: T-Post

The medium is the message this week, with a couple of neat projects in paper and cotton. T-Post is self-billed by it's Swedish creators as "the world's first wearable magazine," and offers the chance to model all the news that's fit to primp. A story unfolds on the inside of a t-shirt (American Apparel, natch), each edition has a new designer develop the graphic on the front, and the new "issue" is sent out to subscribers every six weeks. While the concept won't transform print media (and its hipster reach might be a bit narrow...), it's fun to see people interested in telling stories in new ways beyond the blog. Also, I just love these interactive pull-the-tab-and-a-message-appears paper pieces by French artist Thibaud Herem. via PSFK