reactions

File this one under: how did I miss this?? Elena Brower, one of my yoga teachers, held a class within an art installation at the MoMA back in February. The class was held in one of the upper atriums of the museum, where the exhibition Pour Your Body Out by Pipilotti Rist was installed. The experiential installation encompassed the entire atrium with 25-foot video projections of soft, feminine, abstract imagery. The artist also designed a circular couch as part of the exhibit to encourage visitors to fully absorb the piece. On the closing day of the installation, they held this yoga class to allow a handful of lucky participants to physcially connect with the art.

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Everywhere we turn we’ve been hearing and seeing the topic of “Affordable Luxuries” in the news. Most recently it’s the cover theme on this month’s Bazaar, summing up their cover stories on Best Bargains, Smart Shopping, Runway Report, and Hot Beauty Buys. Are we on trend or what? With the tools discussed in our webinar, you too now know the secrets to what separates these items from the rest of the pack.

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Watershed Assembly at MSLK 5/24/09 from MSLK on Vimeo.

MSLK’s newest eco-art endeavor got into high gear this weekend with the help of some great friends. 867 bottles — more than half of the 1,500 we’re planning for Figment — were strung together. As you can see above, I even managed to shoot some footage of the whole day which I edited into a short film about the making of Watershed.

Weeks of bottle collection combined with weeks of testing the different rigging needed to assemble the project. Our next assembly is June 7th, everyone is invited to participate in building this together. Better yet, experience all that’s fun and amazing at Figment on June 13 at noon.

Very special thanks to all those who came out on Saturday to lend a hand—you are a brave bunch indeed.

The recession may not be over yet, but this weekend I literally saw and felt hope from New Yorkers. It came in the form of the opening of a new shop, Teich, run by our good friend Allison Teich.

Teich sells her own line of eco-friendly handbags as well as a curated collection of socially conscious goods all made right here in NYC. Perhaps inspired by the general goodwill that Teich brings into her products, in a very non-stereotypical New York fashion neighbors, shop owners, and long-time residents have been pouring in throughout the week to welcome Allison. Her new shop at 84 East 7th Street represents new life to the East Village, just as spring has come around to show us that the sun just might shine again.

We personally wish Allison the best of luck.  Her success thus far is certainly an inspiration. (photo: Matthew Polis)

Sheri, Co-Founder of MSLK, explains the marketing benefits of a blog.

“Make It Big’ by Blogging”
The Creative Group eZine, online magazine
May 2009

Nothing is more indulgent than picking up the phone, calling in and having dinner delivered right to your door. When I first moved to New York it was actually one of the things I loved most about the city. I had an overwhelming stack of delivery menus from fine cuisine in every nationality to McDonald’s. Everyone will deliver in NYC.

Recently, though, I’ve been feeling really down on take out and delivery. First and foremost I don’t want the plastic bag, but then when I look inside there’s…plastic, plastic, and more plastic. Often things I really don’t need, like 5 sets of plastic silverware individually wrapped (in more plastic).

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If you want something done right, do it yourself.

If you want something you’d never think to do, ask Daniel Harper to do it. He’s an industrial designer, artist, model-maker, sculptor, inventor, and all around jolly guy who spends all his time thinking up new ways of doing things. Crazy things.

His past accomplishments include chairs that turns into inflatable showers, salt and pepper shakers shaped like noses, toys of every shape and color, and one of my all-time favorites, the Ashhole (which we designed the packaging for) — a device that turns any empty beer bottle into an ashtray. Dan and MSLK have collaborated on a number cool projects over the years.

Dan’s latest creation is no doubt his most ambitious. One part Rube Goldberg, one part steampunk, and 110% Dan, he clearly stole the show at the Re/Build, a collaborative exhibit in Brooklyn’s 1889 gallery.

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While traveling in Chicago this past weekend. I spotted these new ads for Lens Crafters papering the El train stations. Although I didn’t “get it” right away, I was drawn to them by their use of the heart icon. These days many consumer purchases are fueled by emotional connections. The heart is a very compelling tool for establishing that you are a brand that believes in that connection and instills that attraction from your customers.

Then I noticed that the <3 LC had something before it… Four little vertical lines on each person’s forehead. Now for a graphic designer, this was a slam dunk, of course, “I (eye) Love LC.”

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A tree might grow in Brooklyn, but here in Long Island City, palm trees grow. I snapped this while biking after doing a double take. It’s right near the Fischer Landeau center, one of our neighborhood’s amazing museums. I couldn’t tell if this was intentional, or simply a happy accident…

Affordable Luxury Webinar 5/6/09 from MSLK on Vimeo.

Thank you to everyone who joined us today for our first webinar on “Positioning Your Brand as an Affordable Luxury” . I really appreciate all of the great feedback, pointers and responses we’ve received thus far. It seems that many of you agree with the positioning opportunities that we’ve defined and I truly hope that our insights provided you with a new lens of how to view the marketing initiatives  you see all around.

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