Loving this year’s national Independence Day or Yom Haatzmaot poster celebrating 64 years. Designed by Shlomit Tsur, a graduate of visual communications at Shenkar, and illustrated by Gustavo Viselner. (Id love to find more information about the artists if anyone has any leads, my searches didnt yield much.)

Anyway, the picturesque imagery strikes at the heart of what constitutes our identity, our land and our people: water. Nourishing us, sustaining us and what we all need to live, from plants to people. This year let’s be good to our Land, ourselves, our people and others. Happy 64, Israel, and many more…

Oy, so I didn’t make it a Sunday update this week but all in good time. Because essentially, the biggest news to hit the art-and-design-o-sphere comes this week from Comic Con: Israeli comic book artist and illustrator Rutu Modan was just awarded an Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel in 2008 for her work, Exit Wounds.

Set in modern-day Tel Aviv, A young man, Koby Franco, receives an urgent phone call from a female soldier. Learning that his estranged father may have been a victim of a suicide bombing in Hadera, Koby reluctantly joins the soldier in searching for clues. His death would certainly explain his empty apartment and disconnected phone line. As Koby tries to unravel the mystery of his father’s death, he finds himself not only piecing together the last few months of his father’s life, but his entire identity. With thin, precise lines and luscious watercolors, Modan creates a portrait of modern Israel, a place where sudden death mingles with the slow dissolution of family ties.

I’m not so sure that today’s Israel can be so easily categorized as a place where family ties are not strong. In fact, I believe quite the opposite is true. And you’ll find Israel’s biggest ‘celebrities’ eating Friday night dinner with their families before going out to the ‘hottest’ clubs. (I put that all in quotes because it’s all so (ir)relevant, celebrity, fame, stardom, etc…) But don’t let that detract from interest in or attention for the work. For sure, it’s a prestigious award that was bestowed on one of Israel’s decorated and renowned illustrators. So if anyone gets their hands on a copy and has a chance to read it, let us know what you think of the theme.

And in the meantime, we can all agree that the images, as they relate to the topics of terror and death, are indeed breathtaking. There’s something of an older aesthetic or vintage look in the work, as if it draws upon the historical element of Tel Aviv despite its newness of subject and view. Whether it’s by the coloring of the page, the people captured in the street scenes, or the simplicity of the fonts used as conversations. Check out a 5 page excerpt from the novel here.

Photos of Steven Wiltshire’s finished drawing of Jerusalem – including a few words from the artist himself on the experience – have been posted, by yours truly, over at Jerusalemite – The Jerusalem Culture Guide. I’ll be posting at Jerusalemite on art and culture in the Holy City but, don’t worry, dear readers, you’re still first on my must-tell list.

In fact, for those of you who have stuck out my intermittent posting this past month, I’d like to make it up to you. I’m thinking next week will be a payback week with two – count ‘em two – posts per day. This way I’ll repay all you who came to Designist only to discover, much to your dismay, that I still hadn’t posted anything new. So, in my two-fer IOU payback plan, one post will be new and current and the other will come from my (huge) pile of things I meant to write about, half started or left as a draft over the past few weeks. It should be fun – almost like time traveling, but with style. Looking forward to seeing you twice daily next week!

1948-58:

Tel Aviv’s distinctive Bauhaus style reflects a strong tradition of art and craft that was brought over from Europe. But the slight alterations – replacing windows with balconies and increasing shaded areas through added cornices – account for the Middle Eastern climate thereby introducing an Israeli element to an International Style. Or perhaps recreating an older aesthetic within a new, Israeli style of living. In 2003, Tel Aviv is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and renamed the “White City“.

1959-68:

Don’t let these bathing beauties distract you from the real excitement of the decade: Gottex. Founded in 1949 by Leah and Ermine Gottleib, Jewish immigrants from Hungary, as a raincoat company, they turned a quick 180 degrees toward the Mediterranean sun – in recognition of our more defining climate. With Gottex’s revolutionary introduction of Spandex (yes, you can blame Israel for that one), bathing suits became lighter and clingier, allowing for Gottex to pioneer two significant swimwear crazes. First, as hemlines rose in the swinging 60s, bathing suits hiked in all directions – thanks to the miracles of Spandex and other light fabrics developed by Gottex. Second, and this relates to later decades of partying and excess as well, Gottex put glamour and fashion onto the beach. And with Gottex the concept of luxury swimwear was born and bred.

1969-78:

If you thought many of Israel’s corporate logos, symbols, posters or advertisements had something in common, you were right. They were either designed or influenced by Israeli graphic artist extraordinaire Dan Reisinger. Born in Yugoslavia in 1934, Reisinger’s talents were quickly identified and he was sent to study at Jerusalem’s prestigious Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Reisinger’s prolific career has enjoyed incredible hometown and international success. He has designed more than 200 social, political and cultural images and posters in Israel, including 150 logos that have become part and parcel of our everyday living. Together they serve as a visual timeline marking Israel’s most significant historical, social, economic and cultural developments over the decades. In 1971-76, Reisinger designed what we have all come to know and love (or loathe) in the form of ElAl’s corporate logo – the slanted letters, mixed Hebrew and English, blue and white. Above is a destination poster to travel with ElAl which was part of a series from 1968-71. The graphic, abstract and modern-meets-traditional, almost nostalgic but contemporary, aesthetic of Reisinger’s work continues to influence.

1979-1988:

Just like disco its moves and grooves, so too, in a way, did the artwork of Yaakov Agam. And as the excessive and hyperextended 80s took over, Agam’s kinetic, geometric and highly colorful, conceptual art found its place in the middle of Tel Aviv’s bustling metropolis. In the form of a rotating sound and light water fountain that, along with the angular blocks of color – that really change as you look at them from different angles, represent the elements of Water and Fire. Agam’s experiments with optical, kinetic and experiential art left an indelible imprint on our canon. In this case, the spectacle placed within and about Tel Aviv’s most important crosswalk shows the city gaining a self-awareness – or perhaps a self-imposed importance – of its position as the (cultural) center of the country.

1989-1998:

I can’t say enough about Ron Arad. I love, love, love him. He’s an incredible designer. World renown. Amazingly innovative and challenging at the same time. And from Israel. In 1989, Arad’s rapidly increasing fame and reputation for chair and furniture design led him to establish Ron Arad Associates in London. In 1994, again owing to growing success, he added a studio workshop in Italy to increase production of his studio pieces. Seating and shelvingare just some of his more famous designs that are currently either on view at major museums around the world or on sale for respectable (read: incredibly high) prices at prestigious auction houses. But with design gaining mass popularity and media attention these days, its the talent that makes Ron Arad a household name – not just the pricetag.

1999-2008 and beyond:

The Israeli Design Center in Holon where the past, present and future come together and forge ahead. Both the culmination of years of amazing art and design efforts from Israel and the (final) destination for future ones. Designed by none other than Ron Arad, the Museum’s voluminous shapes take on larger-than life presence as it guides the visitor’s experience both inside and out through a range of spirals, swirls and enveloping colored building materials (steel, concrete, stone, glass, etc). Obviously an amazing homage to Arad’s own legacy – since the works to be displayed inside the museum were undoubtedly influenced by him. Headed by Dr. Razi Amiatay, in consultation with Professor Ezri Tarazi, a celebrated designer, teacher and arts advocate in his own right, the Israeli Design Center has been gaining speed and prominence both locally and internationally with a great website (albeit in Hebrew only for now), events and conferences welcoming prominent figures from abroad, and a burgeoning student and independent artists and designers community. It is literally and figuratively the space to watch for our art and design future.

The above post was created specially for 60bloggers.com where 60 bloggers celebrate 60 years of Israel with 60 days of posts on Zionism to politics and everything in between.

“The Human Camera” has landed in Jerusalem. Or at least, he has circled above it and surveyed our holy streets. Sounds like something straight out of Marvel comics, but this is real life. A real man. An accomplished artist. And an extraordinary talent – or, dare I say, power.

Internationally renown British cityscape illustrator Stephen Wiltshire has come to cast his eye and hand across the city of Jerusalem in honor of its 40th anniversary of reunification. Wiltshire has garnered much critical attention for his large-scale, hand-drawn replicas of such congested cities as London, New York, Tokyo and Rome, because he recreates the cities – down to their very last street corner – after surveying the areas from a helicopter for just an hour or two. If you don’t believe me, check out this amazing video on YouTube showing Wiltshire’s artistic practice in action in Rome. The exact duplicate of the Colosseum – and I mean exact – is just incredible.

Identified at age three as autistic, Wiltshire’s creative and developmental outlet was quickly recognized through his complicated and realistic drawings of scenes and objects ranging from animals to London’s buses to buildings. Yeah, I didn’t mention the autism factor until paragraph three, and Queen Elizabeth II didn’t do so at all two years ago when she dubbed Wiltshire a Member of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his services to the art world.

Wiltshire’s first word, at age eight, was “paper,” and ever since then, he’s been producing artwork that has been featured in documentaries, galleries, exhibitions and books around the globe. In addition to demonstrating his amazing abilities in cities across the globe, Wiltshire also promotes autistic research and awareness and runs creative workshops for children with autism.

Having landed in Israel this past Sunday, Wiltshire spent one hour flying over Jerusalem and studying our sacred city. He will spend the next few days recreating the city from memory on a four-meter-long canvas – and I’m pretty darn sure he’ll have all the right stones in their ancient quarters. The finished masterpiece will be auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds going to support child education and autism research in Israel. Wiltshire will also lead art activities for children with autism at two schools in Jerusalem during his four-day visit.

Above, Stephen Wiltshire draws Tokyo as part of a BBC documentary on his artwork and creative process called Extraordinary People: The Human Camera.

{ Featured on Jerusalemite – The Jerusalem Culture Guide }

It goes without saying that I’m a big fan of Etsy. I can spend hours looking for artwork, crafts, toys, clothes – you name it and I’ve searched for it, either to purchase to inspire. I’ve also featured several Israeli artists from Etsy on Designist Dream like Rafya by Alona Lahav and Shirae by Shira Sela. Since posting about them and others just a few months ago, the number of Israelis selling through Etsy has soared. Perhaps the above Hebrew manual on How to Sell on Etsy by Israeli crafter and artist raisinlike has helped many throw their creative mitts into the crafty ring.

Just yesterday though it seems that somewhere in the Etsy community, a link was posted to Designist Dream. I’m thrilled to be noticed and recommended by Etsy sellers, buyers and fans, but I can’t seem to find the link or post. Can anyone send me the link, please? Thanks and happy crafting whether you’re in Israel or elsewhere in the world.

I love urban renewal/ development projects that utilize art and culture. And lord knows, Israel’s Southern region could use a boost of tourism these days. Below two new sites down South (or at least South of where I live) for seeing Israeli art that don’t appear in your guidebooks:

You’re going to have to start counting the number of museums in Holon on two hands now as the Israeli Caricature and Comics Museum kicked opened its doors yesterday with proper pomp and circumstance. The opening ceremony included a speech from well-known secularist politician Tommy Lapid on the role of caricature in the Israeli press and from a UN-sponsored project called Cartooning for Peace. The museum was a collaborative initiative by the Holon municipality and Theater and the Israeli Caricature Association. One of 12 such museums in the world, it will promote caricature and comics as an art form in general, provide a venue for the display of local work and educate a wider generation of future artists and educated consumers. The museum will feature changing as well as permanent exhibitions and a special area will be devoted to the social and political prominence of cartoons in Israeli culture. A virtual collection and archive will be accessible through the Internet. More information in English here and here. And from the Israel Design Center also in Holon in Hebrew here.

A little further down South in Beer Sheva, Dani Machlis decided he couldn’t live without his photography, literally: he opened a photography gallery in his home. The opening – and probably somewhat permanent – exhibition features 50 works by, well, Machlis himself. The subjects range from Israeli soldiers in action to visits to New York and Africa. As Machlis explains, “The dream is to develop the Old City of Be’er Sheva and turn it into a cultural center that people visit for its own sake. It was easier to collect my own pictures for the opening exhibition, but temporary exhibitions by other photographers – particularly photographers from the South – will appear here in the future.” The gallery was produced and curated in conjunction with the Negev Museum of Art located nearby. Machlis also intends to feature local Southern artists in upcoming exhibitions. Viewing is by appointment only, just to make sure Machlis is not in his pajamas. Written up in Haaretz here or visit the gallery homepage here.
Above, photo by Dan Machlis, from Negev series

Update: Dani Machlis corrected the Haaretz article (see comments below) and me several times (yikes!?) but he writes that his home-based gallery has set opening hours on weekends for which appointments are not necessary. Check the website for more information and call before popping over during the week or after set hours on the weekends. (Hope I got it right this time

All eight postings (that is a total of 32 gifts!) of the Hanukkah gift guide can be found here for your convenience.

Or alternately you can find each day listed here:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8

Well Hanukkah’s finally here and the Gift Guide is officially reaching its final day of amazing Israeli design gift ideas. As a reminder for the non-Hanukkah-observing readers, these gifts will also make someone happy this Christmas! Here’s to wishing you and your families a wonderful holiday season. And now for the last time in 2007, clockwise from top left:

Now, I’m not telling you to become June Cleaver, but wouldn’t it be nice for your man to have his own chair to welcome him at the end of the day? A place for him to kick off his shoes, put on his slippers, and fold out the day’s paper? Ok so in today’s world, it’s more like rip off his Pumas and open his laptop to catch up on his blogs, but you get the picture. Legendary Israeli designer and architect Ron Arad‘s Ripple Chair offers a contemporary and beautiful alternative to the Archie Bunker chaise of yore. Made of a pliable polypropylene that melts open as the sitter reclines, it seems to clean and inviting. Like a pure sitting experience awaits. Of course this is also suitable to purchase for a woman, but when I saw this I just blurted out, “Man, this is a beautiful chair” and so into the men’s category it went. It would also look great in my man’s office and since we share it, everyone wins. Hooray for unisex Modernist design! Available here through the MoMA, NY shop.

What first struck me about this amazing leather notebook holder from Israeli fashion accessory designer Nivi Concept was how much I wanted one. Although the design is quite abstract, the golden leaf pattern jumps right off the black leather background, making it more textural, natural and personal. It seems somehow like the perfect gift for Everywoman. It’s sophisticated for business women – even the corporate ones. Creative for poets – even the most bohemian ones. Nature-inspired for the hippie set – but it is leather so it depends how vegan they are. Trendy in gold, black and leather for the fashionistas. And handmade for the artsy crew. Oh, and also the perfect gift for the girl who has everything, cause something like this isn’t available everywhere. But it is available here.

Decorating the nursery – or redecorating your child’s room – is one of the most fun things a parent can do for a kid, I think. Mostly because up until a certain age, the parent can just live out any and all room decorating fantasies he or she ever wanted without the kid having any opinion or say in the matter. So enrich your child’s exposure to non-commercial art and characters with this original handmade print by Israeli artist Shirae on etsy. I love the retro simplicity of her characters – young girls and boys enjoying their toys. Featured above is one scene from a set of three prints: one girl playing with a hoola hoop, one girl playing with a marionette and one boy playing with a toy car. Sweet and simple, from their clothes to their toys, with no background to distract your eye from the purity and joy of the central scene. The bordering elliptical frame almost serves as a peephole into another world. One where Dora the Explorer and Teletubbies have yet to make their (terribly pervasive) mark. Available here on etsy.

Way back when I first started this blog, I had just become a mother which didn’t exactly bode well for my free time, I wrote about an exhibition of new Israeli designers at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NY. Nineteen contemporary Israeli designers working with all sorts of media and techniques were on display for the first time in a major US museum. Each presented his or her approach to the subject of useful things – they questioned what we use, what is considered useful and how does how we use things determine how things should look. Wait, is that even a question? Point is, many of the items – from Assaf Warshavsky’s inside-out radio to Chanan de Lange’s anything-but-straight book shelves – are not only humorous but challenging and exciting. So leave this exhibition catalogue front and center on your coffee table and make your guests wait for you to return with the latkes and coffee. Impress them with your art and design savvy and show them a bit about what they may be missing in the world of contemporary Israeli design. Available here through the Cooper-Hewitt Museum shop.

Well, Hanukkah is almost here and I think I’ve both lost count and let life get a bit in the way, so just to finish off my 8-day gift guide extravaganza, I think I’ll take some artistic license and feature the final Day 8 ideas during the holiday. That way, those of you who are behind with your shopping have a chance to catch up.

Otherwise, back to the countdown and four more amazing gifts for you to bestow upon loved ones:
(clockwise from top left)

Don’t let your man forget anything with this super snazzy cartoon wipe board from Israeli designer misfits Monkey Business. Humor and graphics reign supreme in this “Captain Memo” design; a perfect reminder tool or organizing trick for your man’s office or play room. On a side note, I’m really impressed that Monkey Business is now available through Target. Who knew their aesthetic was so accessible that it is now being sold to mainstream America? That is, if mainstream America is a bunch of big-bosomed-female-super-hero-loving comic book fans. Oh, so now I’m starting to understand the universal appeal… or why we’re going to be ordering one of these this holiday season. Available here.

It is no secret that every woman needs a room of her own for contemplation, inspiration and rejuvenation. What you may not know though is that buying your woman a beautiful handmade print – like the one above – to help consecrate her space will make her forever grateful and deeply moved. “All things girly” by Israeli etsy artist Leiaka features a woman’s precious, girly items – lipstick, dress, pearls, heels – it’s over the top and very curly-cue feminine. But even for the most staunch Feminist this print is a sweet touch in one’s bathroom, dressing room or even entranceway. It seems like the perfect piece to match an old Hollywood mirrored vanity set like this one. You know, lounging around in my fur tipped silk robe with matching heeled slippers. Available here on etsy.

With all the toy recalls from China and backlash against plastic, let this Hanukkah season be one of more simpler presents – ones that also give back to the community, not just to your children. Pastel Toys are beautiful handmade wooden toys created in Israel through the Kishorit non-profit organization that as part of its mission, created a kibbutz-style community wherein people with learning, adaptive and functional disabilities receive specialized care that includes health care, residences, educational and enrichment activities and therapeutic programs. Their amazing toys are produced as part of a physical rehabilitation program for residents that includes woodworking, designing and painting the toys (with milk paint). I love their simple abstracted design. And the delicate colors, carefully rubbed out edges to give it that used and loved look. They feel like an old wooden toy that either could gave been or could still be handed down through generations. The “Billy Train” selected above is both a toy train with a cargo carrier and a set of blocks. The perfect gift for youngsters that carries its own message of good will toward others. Available here.

Rated by interior design gurus at apartment therapy as one of the top 10 accessible storage systems for your home, this innovative cubic storage unit from renown Israeli furniture designer Doron Lachish is a generous gift that will solve all – or most – of your storage woes. The Cubitec plastic colored units can be custom linked to fit your exact space. Multiple units can also be joined together to fill out any blank or odd wall space you can’t figure out how to maximize. And recent additions to the Cubitec system include deeper shelves, invisible joinery, and optional doors and back panels. As a bonus, you can choose from a range of colors including translucent white – which lets you build up wall space without closing the rest of your room in. A neat trick not possible with the heavier, wooden or MDF storage options. Available here through NY-based design authority, DWR.