Murphy at PDX

Megan Murphy “Forbid,” 2006. Video stills, oil paint and graphite on acrylic, 16 1/4″ x 24″.

The year is getting away from us. Time to tie up loose ones, polish things off, and reset the machinery. Also, in the next few days before The End, go to PDX Contemporary Art (925 NW Flanders) and sink eyes-first into the deep surfaces of work by Megan Murphy wherein watery video stills layer with the thinnest layers of oil paint and obscured text. Deadly lovely.

updated Thursday December 28 2006 6:59

First Word: core77 Offsite with UNKL

Back by popular demand, Portland’s version of the core77 Offsite. Brand Jordan designer, Michael DiTullo and Katsu Tanaka, owner of Compound/Just Be are hosting the men from UNKL Thursday February 8 from 6-9 PM at the Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th).

Offsite is a presentation by and discussion with the cross-disciplinary design visionaries at UNKL, followed by a Q+A, DJ Mr. Strack, the whole proceedings lubricated by an open bar. According to DiTullo, “Founders Derek and Jason will give us an exciting inside look into the UNKL operation, explaining how it all came about, including the origins of our favorite UNKL characters like SUG and JunPo. They will also discuss their work at their own design consultancy Big-Giant, with clients including Virgin, adidas-Salomon, Starbucks, LEGO, NFL, Microsoft, Converse and Nike.”

We’re going as Stefanie Powers with our date, Robert Vaughn. You are required to RSVP (Respondez s’il vous plait), but that’s only polite.

updated Monday December 25 2006 1:58

Champagne Chair Contest: Fun For The Day After

We’ve pictured you crawling around under the occasional table in the party room with your hair sideways and your dress askew, collecting a few corks for this design assignment come New Year’s Day. It’s that time of year again when Design Within Reach sponsors its Champagne Chair Contest, the results of which in the past have been superb (as well as good fun). The rules are strict (only two corks, no other materials, etceteras), the prize is a gift certificate and a certain notoriety, AND you have to hurry in to your local DWR (1200 NW Everett) to get your contest “kit” with “all the materials you need.” We’re hoping that since Veuve Cliquot is sponsoring the contest, the corks in your “kit” will still be attached to champagne bottles. Let us know.

updated Saturday December 23 2006 7:12

A Measure of Days

Is there a perfect multi-purpose gift that you could give to everyone? Mom, dad, sis and unkle? The Merkled 2007 Linear Calendar by PDX designer, Kari Merkle just may be that gift. Who doesn’t need a measure of days, we ask you? And would that your measuring device was as stylish and flexible as this. The Merkled Linear Calendar is packaged as a full 12 month set, each month is a separate 31″ paper strip. The calendar can be arranged horizontally or vertically, stacked up, or spread across the wall.

Available in Portland at Ecru, Reading Frenzy, Imp, Memoir, and Trillium and at www.merkled.com.

Design Night: Li Xi Envelope

It’s hard to decide whether to tell the story of the object or the story of the making of the object. You have a friend, no doubt, who would love to [fill in the blank creative activity] if only she or he had the time. “I’ve always wanted to….” “I wish I could find the time to….” Well, Tram Pham and her husband Dominic D’Andrea—both award-winning PDX-based designers—decided that the only way to carve out the creative time for their own great ideas was to have a Design Night. And so once a week, they made a date with design.

The Li Xi envelope is the first Design Night project to come to production. Li Xi or “lucky money” is traditionally given during Chinese New Year in a red and gold envelope. This one features a pig for 2007, Year of the Pig. Unlike other red envelopes printed in gold, this one is intricately laser cut of red crepe paper. Because of the delicate nature of the paper and design, each envelope is hand assembled.

You can find Li Xi envelopes at Imp on NE Alberta and at Flutter on N. Mississippi. Powells on Burnside will start carrying them at the end of December. Or check the Design Night website. We can’t wait to see what comes out of Design Night next.