COOL HUNTING®

"Digital art has, up to this moment, relied on materialization and singular playback tools to be appreciated in the market. Not anymore." Though Ryan McGinness creates art that’s best known in its physical forms, he’s no stranger to digital mediums. His paintings and installations all include a graphic layer (or layers) born on the screen and later rendered to canvas in concert with intensive hand- …

Built to accomodate the daily commute or a bare bones cross country ride, the V7 Wayward from Hammarhead Industries is your minimalist's dream motorcycle. Unveiled in late January of this year and based on the Moto Guzzi V7 Classic, the V7 Wayward is a loud, powerful mid-sized bike designed to take shit from no one—like everything HHI makes. So, when owner, designer and builder James Hammarhead asked if we'd like to be the first to take it for a spin, of course the answer was yes.

As longtime fans of Aether's sophisticated line of outerwear, we jumped at the chance to visit their first brick and mortar retail location. The recently opened San Francisco shop is uniquely constructed from three shipping containers, and is now home to an even more intriguing inventory system. To maximize space, the Aether team incorporated a custom-built rotating rack that spans all three floors. We sat down with Aether co-founders Palmer West and Jonah Smith about the impetus behind the store and how they are translating a primarily online business into the real world.

When we first discovered Grady's Cold Brew we were delighted to have delicious, cold brewed, New Orleans-style coffee delivered weekly by a seemingly never-ending troupe of handsome young men. Since those early days Grady's has grown, expanding out of founder Grady Laird's home kitchen into a large warehouse in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. In our latest video we visited Laird at their new space and got a behind-the-scenes look at how New York's tastiest cold brew is made.

There are many beautiful things to see on the drive into Big Bear Lake, CA but one of the more interesting and unknown is the Planetarium Projector Museum. In an unassuming building a stone's throw from the lake, owner Owen Phairis has managed to compile the largest collection of planetarium projectors in the world. Phairis, who also does an electrical stage show as Nikola Tesla called "Man Of Lighting", has a very unique obsession with the retired machines. These fantastic optical relics have been rescued from defunct planetariums and schools, now taking residence under a re-purposed military parachute in Phairis' space. We spoke to Phairis about the projectors and were even lucky enough to get a private viewing of the stars.

In a large warehouse in Los Angeles, behind a massive rolling metal door, there is a room full of awesome pinball machines. A labor of love, Pins and Needles is a public arcade filled with privately owned pinball machines made available for everyone to enjoy by founder Molly Atkinson. Curated by its energetic and tremendously charming founder, each machine has a unique and enchanting personality. We spent the day with Atkinson, learning about the history of pinball machines, her obsession with the sport of pinball and how she came to be quite the pinball mechanic. Most days of the week Pins and Needles opens its door from 8pm-midnight, during which time you will find Atkinson and many other enthusiasts hammering away for the high score—just don't forget your quarters.

Gaetano Pesce is one of the most renowned living designers. Quintessentially creative, a tireless experimenter, natural born provocateur and intellectual, Pesce is now launching an interesting new project centered on the body. Galerie Basia Embiricos in Paris presents Pesce's "Pieces for the Body", a series of unique, handmade jewels through 20 February 2013. The 100 pieces are made of colored urethane resin, whose function is simply to decorate the female body. We had the chance to meet Pesce in his New York studio and chatted about the evolution of design, true innovation and our liquid society.

There are many interesting and odd things to be found on the shores of the dying Salton Sea in southern California but maybe one of the most unique is the International Banana Museum. Recently transplanted from Culver City, the museum occupies a squat building on the side of the Highway 111 in Mecca, CA, a relatively short drive south from Palm Springs. Housing the largest collection of banana paraphernalia in the world, the museum is a fascinating catalog of all the different ways the iconic fruit can take shape. For our latest video we stopped in and spoke to Fred "Banana Mon" Garbutt, who owns the collection and curates this curious collection.

There is an unassuming warehouse on an industrial street in Oakland, California that has some surprising contents. Behind the large rolling door are rows of thousands of plastic sacks filled with fungi. Back To The Roots is a young company with a simple mission: provide people the tools to grow their own food at home. Our latest video explores the process of taking discarded coffee grounds and with their unique kits growing your own mushrooms anywhere. In addition to the kits the company just launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their latest project—an at-home aquaponics set-up.

For the final video from our adventures in Buenos Aires we visit the studio of the fantastic visual artist, Manuel Ameztoy. Ameztoy works exclusively with paper cut-outs, creating fragile installations on an epic scale. We caught up with him the day after his opening at the city's Faena Arts Center to talk about his process and how he creates his delicately elegant sculptures.

While in Buenos Aires we stumbled across a curious manufacturing operation nestled in an alley and realized it was a unique opportunity for CH Video. Alicia Muñiz, the founder and designer of Comme il Faut, has been dancing tango most of her life. Dissatisfied with the available tango shoes Muñiz decided to go ahead and make her own. Seeking to bring a higher level of fashion and design into her shoes, Muñiz broke the mold and created one of the most sought after and successful line of tango footwear in the world.

During a recent visit to Maison et Objet 2012 in Paris we came across a neat and simple toy from the London based company All Lovely Stuff. Their super analog drawing machine uses a felt pen and simple tools that are assembled with a rubberband and can be configured to draw different forms. Available from their web store, they are sure to be a hit with kids and grown-ups alike.

When our friends at Bentley Motors hit us up with the chance to go for a spin in the super charged 1930 Bentley Blower around New York City we grabbed our camera and headed for a cruise. The Blower, brought over from England for a little tour in the States, is a true classic head turner. Capable of speeds up to 100mph, taking this $6-8 million dollar beauty out on the streets of New York was a perfect way to spend a Fall morning in NY.

In our latest video we explore Genspace, a community biotech lab based in Brooklyn. When most people imagine a research laboratory they usually don't envision it living in an unassuming building on a major urban thoroughfare, but Genspace—one of the first labs of its kind in the US operating at Biosafety Level One—is a fully functioning lab offering a wide variety of high tech equipment to its members. Ranging from research scientists to designers to visual artists, the crowd at Genspace is eclectic to say the least and has something to offer anyone interested in science. With free range to work on personal projects or participate in classes, Genspace members represent a new facet in the ever growing DIY community.

For our first Cool Hunting Edition travel experience we brought 24 friends and readers on safari in Zambia. Over the course of eight days CH Zambia guests experienced the wonders and wildlife of Africa with a few surprises from our brand partners. As editors we have the privilege of being able to experience new things and places all over the world. When traveling, we always look to see what types of products we can test out—gear, clothing, accessories, tech. Frequently our trips include access to people and environments that are out of reach for most travelers. When we had the chance to visit The Bushcamp Company in Zambia we realized it would be the perfect opportunity to let our readers travel the way that we often get to.