COOL HUNTING®

For episode number 40, CH traveled to the Brooklyn home of one of the foremost collectors of watches from the 1960s and 1970s, the man who goes by the moniker Watchismo. Having had an online relationship with him for several years, it was great to meet Watchismo in person. He takes us through his extensive collection of watches, talks about why he started collecting, and how his passion became a successful business.

"Attempt at an Invisible Sphere," a globe made from 215 cameras and screens, was our first introduction to Jonathan Schipper's work. When we had the chance to visit the Brooklyn-based artist in his studio recently, we got to check out more of the "mechanical paradoxes" that make up Schipper's ouevre and watch him tinker on his latest undertaking, an animatronic sculpture set in motion by a player piano reel of Slayer's "Raining Blood." The piece debuted in a group show that opened last Friday, 23 June 2006, called "Factitious" at Brooklyn's Pierogi Gallery, and will run through 31 July 2006.

As a final assignment for his Spring 2006 Interior Architecture class, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Professor Jeffrey Katz asked his students to translate Cool Hunting in to a physical store. We were very excited to hear about all this and agreed to participate with a little guidance and critique. This video highlights some of the student projects and our reaction to them. Thanks again to Jeffrey and his class?this has made us really eager to open a store one day.

In the last volume of our 8-bit series we discuss the sampling processes of artists who re-imagine the possibilities of lo-fi technology with New Media Curator, Ashley Colgate. We revisit Mike Rosenthal, Experimental Music Curator at the NYC performance space 'The Tank.' We also had the opportunity to speak with Montgomery Knott director of MonkeytownHQ, the innovative dining and performance space in Williamsburg. We asked them about their ideas on 8-bit music and the artistic process of manipulating limited technology as a form of expression. What follows is an overview on the future of the Chiptune sound.

On 21 May 21 we visited the seventh annual NYC Tattoo Convention at the Roseland Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan. We captured the performance of Lucky Diamond Rich, the most tattooed person in the world and met with Spider Webb, perhaps the most rebellious tattooist in history. Spider Webb was at the forefront of the movement to legalize tattooing in New York City during it's city wide ban from 1961 to 1998. Lucky Diamond Rich has been tattooed in 45 cities by 136 international tattoo artists. We caught up with Lucky on the Lower East Side of NYC after the show and discussed the life of tattoos. The following is an episode that reveals a brief glimpse into the world of ink. Headphones are suggested but not mandatory.

For our final 8 bit artist profile, Cool Hunting Video presents Mark Denardo, a musician that incorporates electronic sequences from both his Gameboy and PSP into deeply soulful and original folk songs. Referred to in a Wired Magazine article by Malcolm McLaren as the "...next step in the evolution of rock n' roll." Denardo renders cryptic lo-fi compositions that blend hypnotically with his calculated use of guitar, violin and piano. This profile focuses on Mark's album 'Doppleganger' his unique musical style and his recent sound track work for the 'Gamma Bros' video game.

Last week?s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) 2006 Spring Show was the overwhelming hive of creativity we?ve come to expect from the school. A chance for the student artists of ITP to introduce their ideas and projects to the public, the exhibition showcases a range of futuristic concepts to a capacity crowd. In this episode?the second time Cool Hunting Video has covered the event?we take a close look at a virtual pop-up book, a drawing machine, sculpture inspired by sunlight, and an orchestra made of zippers.

Ian Hundley is a Brooklyn-based artist who transforms maps into original large-scale quilts. In this inaugural episode of a series where we visit the studios of artists and designers, we meet with Ian to discuss his inspirations and capture his process.