Core77

Core's favorite local designshop, KIOSK, is hosting an opening tomorrow night, Wednesday, to launch their latest exhibition: Matt McGregor-Mento, Black Cross "Flying Machines". 6-9 with beer, cider and cheese. 95 Spring Street on the 2nd floor. Here's more:

What is it about things made with our own hand that makes them more fun to use? Why is a rough handmade aesthetic so appealing right now? How can making an object intentionally less "functional" bring us closer to the pure experience of using that object? And ultimately, what is the human fascination with speed--and why is our exhilaration heightened when coupled with the sense of unpredictable disaster?

BlackCross "Flying Machines" is a re-inventing of three common recreational objects. Built crudely of wood, the plywood bellyboard (or paipo), the shipping palette sled, and the simple lumber skateboard all feel like Middle School shop-class inventions.

Functional objects intended for use, they are all capable of producing immense joy through movement and speed. But, each is flawed by design. The skateboard is too small, closer to riding a moving balance beam. The bellyboard is heavy--barely able to float--and lacks a leash. The sled is unsteerable and has no seat. But despite, or because of, their limitations, all three intensify the pure sensation of speed and bring a fresh appreciation of the recreation itself.

In order to invite people into the creation process, the bellyboard (the most difficult of the items to produce) is also being sold in kit-form. This opening of the project allows others to create their own designs and discover the satisfaction and joy of using something crafted with their own hands.

Info is here.