Meanwhile at Sundance...

A confusion of film posters today at the Sundance Film Festival. They seem to mirror the chaos of the festival itself. Today was the first day of showings.

Metropolitan Opera House Sconces

When they built the Metropolitan Opera House in 1966, they put on all the jewels--and then they took some off. And it turns out they stuck 100 or so of them in a warehouse, and just found them, and put them on sale in the gift shop for $8-15,000 each.

These Austrian crystal sconces were designed by Hans Harald Rath of J. & L. Lobmeyr, who also made the awesome Sputnik chandeliers. The originals of which are also somehow available now, either in reproduction, or by being parted out in ignominy. The sconces sound like a coup, the chandeliers, a massacre.

The NYT bit on the story [nytimes.com]
All Items In Lighting | Met Opera Shop [metoperashop.org]

Witkar

As a Brigham Young University alumnus, the influential 1960s dada/anarchist movement in Amsterdam known as Provo has always made my day just by existing.

I had no idea that their White Plans, policy proposals made after several Provos won seats on Amsterdam's City Council, included Witfiets [White Bikes], one of the first urban bikesharing plans in the world; and Witkar [White Car], a computer-managed co-op network of urban electric cars, that actually operated around Amsterdam for several years in the 1970s and 80s.



They were actually designed and built by the Witkar's inventor, an engineer and Provo named Luud Schimmelpennink. They're kind of rustic, but also fantastic. Like little Popemobiles.

There's an attempt to bring Witkars to the 21st century, too [witkar.nl]

Uh, Wow, No: Thomas Ruff X Lacoste X Visionaire

Maybe I didn't miss the Visionaire #54 Sports issue when it came out, with its four, separate 3-packs of variously sized Lacoste shirts digitally printed all over with the designs and images of the dozen most loyal and/or whatever! artists, photographers, and designers Visionaire could rustle up. Maybe I just need hypno recovered memory therapy or something.

Oh, Thomas Ruff, my hero, what have you done with your pixellated found photo?

Also sold separately on eBay! Visionaire 54 Sport, sponsored by Lacoste, $250/version, all 4 for $1000 [visionaireworld.com, warning, autoplay]

Mister Peabody X The Selby

Holy smokes, Mister Peabody had the swinginest pad this side of Thomas Crown. Can you imagine the parties he threw after that little groupie Sherman finally went home?

many more: Peabody's Penthouse [stopping off place]

George Nelson (Attr.)? Oh Sure, Why Not

Whether it's East Coast vs. West, or estate auctions vs. vintage design boutiques, the fine folks at New Jersey's own Rago Arts feel the need to give their awesome, unmarked canvas & bent metal rod furniture the most aspirational attributions they can get away with imaginable.

Discovery Auction, Jan 14, 2011, Lot 59: GEORGE NELSON (Attr.)
Canvas and enameled steel lamp
Unmarked
Est. $300-400 [ragoarts.com]

previously: From The Unknown Wrought Iron Master Of California