COOL EVENTS: How To Be a Millionaire At The Armory Show 2015

Having a million dollars must feel nice, right?

I mean, most people at one point or another have thought about how it must feel to be a millionaire. We watch shows about it, keep up with celebrities, and lust for objects and amenities only available to the "elite" and wealthy.

Ah, yes, having a million dollars must be nice, but what if I told you, that you could know what it feels like first-hand?

You see, down at the Armory Show 2015 you can actually fulfill your lifelong dream of being a millionaire!

Jonathan Schipper, Million Dollar Walk (2015) at Pierogi Gallery, The Armory Show 2015.
Photo by Christophe Tedjasukmana for Artsy.

It's called the "Million Dollar Walk"! For 10 minutes,  you have the opportunity to walk around the fair with a briefcase filled with, you guessed it, a million dollars in cash!

The interactive work by Jonathan Schipper allows visitors to the Pierogi Gallery to sign up and walk around pier 94 with the well-equipped suitcase.

Jonathan Schipper, Million Dollar Walk (2015) at Pierogi Gallery, The Armory Show 2015. 
Photo by Christophe Tedjasukmana for Artsy.

Included are handcuffs, which will strap you to the suitcase, and a guard. Not included is The O'Jays "For The Love Of Money" as a soundtrack while you walk.

Jonathan Schipper, Million Dollar Walk (2015) at Pierogi Gallery, The Armory Show 2015. 
Photo by Christophe Tedjasukmana for Artsy.

There isn't a route to which you have to stick to but you are told to "avoid the exits".

Jonathan Schipper, Million Dollar Walk (2015) at Pierogi Gallery, The Armory Show 2015. 
Photo by Christophe Tedjasukmana for Artsy.

Jonathan Schipper, Million Dollar Walk (2015) at Pierogi Gallery, The Armory Show 2015. 
Photo by Christophe Tedjasukmana for Artsy.

The idea of this performative work is to "even the playing field". Schipper stated that art fairs are a meeting place for art and money. He realized this after reading various articles that discussed these art  fairs and how the focus was more on the money behind the artwork rather than the art itself. So even if its for 10 minutes, he gives the regular attendee the chance to even the playing field. That's why he does this during public viewing hours rather than on the VIP preview.

So if you're in the area of twelfth avenue and 55th street in NYC, check out The Pierogi Gallery Booth in Pier 94 and become a millionaire today (for 10 minutes of course)!

By: Oliver Pernt

See more COOL here

COOL ICON: GRAFFITI ARTIST DONDI

The Color Of Unity

It’s impressive what one action is capable of achieving, isn’t it? The concept that an idea, no matter how small can make such a big impact has always been a point of inspiration for me. How creating something astounding can come from a seemingly innocent, and perhaps irrelevant act like painting a simple “name” on random structures found in a city.

That is why I fell in love with the world of graffiti. As a kid growing up in the concrete jungles of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro it was easy to get lost in the greyness of it all. But it was the murals, the creative and colorful writing, and uniqueness of each piece that molded my love for the artistic world. It was graffiti where I was initially exposed to the intricate being of art. Da Vinci, Monet, and Klimt came later.

That is why, in honor of Black History Month, I want to speak about a hugely influential African American man you’ve probably never heard of: Mr. Donald Joseph White A.K.A. Dondi. Considered one of the most influential graffiti artists in the history of the art form.  

Born in Brooklyn, on April 6^th 1961, Dondi was born into a difficult world. Brooklyn at the time was an unstable region due to racial tension and social conflicts, which was mostly brought out by gangs. Gangs ruled the streets to such a degree that he joined several of them in order to avoid any unwanted aggression.

It was in the mid 1970’s, his teen years, where graffiti started to be a big part of Donald’s life. Using the tag name (graffiti signature/artist name) “NACO” and “DONDI”, Donald progressed (much like Taki183 or Tracy168, the Godfathers of graffiti) from simple tagging to richer, more elaborate pieces. 

After being a part of the TOP (The Odd Partners) crew, he went out and started his own. With such noticeable artists as CRASH, DOC, and RASTA, the CIA (Crazy Inside Artists) crew changed the landscape and throughout the next 20 years Donald became well known as the standard for stylistic pieces, influencing countless young artists for years to come.

Throughout his career his “Children of the Grave” pieces (part 1, 2, and 3) were the most famous. Each piece covered the whole exterior of a subway car and the name was taken from a Black Sabbath song.

These pieces, along with many others helped change the perception that graffiti was a foul, criminal attempt at art, and allowed Donald to bring graffiti to the world, making him the first graffiti artist to have a one-man show in the Netherlands and Germany, and furthermore his work was collected by European museums.

Looking over this art form, what I love about graffiti is the irony of it all: How you make limitlessness from limits. Whether it is financial limits (not enough money to afford decent paint and canvas), educational limits (no proper training), or city limits (walls, buildings, bridges, trains, etc), graffiti doesn’t care. The world is your canvas. All that is stopping you is your imagination.

Another irony, and perhaps the most important part of the graffiti movement, is how this colorful movement doesn’t see color. Since its birth, graffiti was established by diversity. Race was never a limiting factor, and through its expansion, it could be considered one of the best race unifiers to date.

From New York, to São Paulo, to Rio, to Wynwood, what I’ve noticed above anything else is that creative expression in raw form is a platform for the ever-existential need to create, to show, to be. As people we continuously strive to make a mark in this world of ours, whether it be in a positive or negative light and through the expression of an idea we are able to not only make a statement, but change its perception as well. It opens our eyes to new ways of seeing, and as I sit here in Wynwood, I can’t help but feel that Dondi needs abundant acknowledgement because without his actions, the action of some before him and many after him, this beautiful part of Miami I feel blessed to work in simply wouldn’t exist.

Because of this I, as well as everyone here at COOL want to thank the late, great Donald “Dondi” White. His “irrelevant” actions made a very relevant contribution by breaking the color barrier with color.  #CertifiedCOOL

 By: Oliver Pernt

See more COOL here:

ART SAKE : PICASSO BABY

JayZ becomes art in a new york art gallery, as he performs

‘Picasso Baby.’ The six hour performance

was shot then edited to this exciting 10 minute video.

Being an art school graduate, I’ve attended my fair

share of totally confusing performance art

shows where everyone watching would pretend they

knew what they had just experienced. This is

is the smartest use of an art form that can

sometimes go over anyone's head.

JayZ is bringing the art worlds back together.

That's the coolest thing ever!

See more COOL here.

FASHION FILES : NIKE SKY HIGH DUNK CITY PACK

 

One of the coolest pair of kicks right now are the New York Sky High Dunks by Nike.

These beauties are one fifth of the City Pack scheduled to release in March. Each pair of kicks 

in the pack represent a major city around the world including: Paris, Milan and London. Each of 

the five will release at different times in the city it represents. Release dates are as followed: 

London (February 16th), Milan(February 23rd), Paris(March 2nd), and Tokyo (March 19th). 

Source Sneaker News

Kith NYC has the NYC edition left in size 11.
21Mercer also has them in various sizes (walk-ins only).
Look out for the full pack in mid March worldwide.
UPDATE: Just found out that 21 Mercer has London (plaid) and Milan (brown) also available now.

See more COOL here.

BRANDS THAT INSPIRE : BROOKLYN CIRCUS

Brooklyn Circus is a brand that can be described as neo-victorian, dandy, and retro-urban. Its a mix of old and new, lined with confidence and trimmed with grace. The company was founded by Haitian-American, Ouigi Theodore, whose goal is to "refine the image of urban America."
"BKc has produced garments that bring the past forward into the future while extending an ethos of education, empowerment and authenticity." - Source BKc Website 

That definitely gets our stamp of COOL.

Check out some of these videos to hear more about the brand and its founder.

Theodore studied graphic design at FIT and worked as a graphic designer right after he graduated with a history degree. He later scraped together $8,000 and opened his shop. Although he originally helped design the clothes at Brooklyn Circus under the BKC label, Mr. Theodore now farms out the designing, casting himself more as an idea-generator and curator.

Source: nytimes.com

 See more COOL features on our blog THAT'S COOL. Just click and scroll down.