Evntiv President shares his picks for the 13 coolest people, places and things in 2013 (in no particular order).
IVAN NAVARRO – LIGHT ARTIST
Chilean artist Ivan Navarro is best known for his light works—sociopolitically-charged installations made out of fluorescent, neon, or incandescent lights. Drawing on social issues and political events, notably the aftermath of Pinochet’s reign and the scars of other dictatorships in Latin America, Navarro creates light works that reflect on the trauma of recent history. Often constructing works that are shaped like chairs, doors, or billboard signs, Navarro repurposes familiar materials to comment on past events, from an ‘electrical chair’ that references the Chilean governments use of electricity as a form of torture, to a table that features a swastika made out of red flowers. Learn more about Ivan Navarro.
ZKIPSTER iPAD CHECK IN SYSTEM
Zkipster is an innovative online guest list management / check-in tool for event producers, hosts, and staff. Imagine your door staff being able to communicate via “pings” sent over iPod and iPhone when a VIP guest arrives! We have used Zkipster several times in 2013 and it was a fantastic way to eliminate unnecessary fumbling through papers and wrestling with clipboards at the check-in desk.
EVENT DESIGN COLOR OF THE YEAR- GOLD!
2013 will definitely be remembered as the year bold color made a comeback (blog post on COLOR!). The most requested color of 2013… Gold! Maybe it is the wave of 50th Anniversary Events or maybe the lush, rich texture of gold is making its way back from the vault- no matter, gold was hot in 2013! Check out this BLOG POST to view more pics!
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Pharrell was definitely the man behind many of the coolest music collaborations in 2013. From Daft Punk to Jay Z. He even made that guy Robin Thicke look cool for a minute! Here is a recap of what this amazing entrepreneur has done:
– Musician: His solo efforts, plus four albums with N.E.R.D. and one album with Daft Punk, sold 2.7 million copies.
– Music Producer: Singles he collaborated on with Robin Thicke, Daft Punk, Jay Z, and numerous others sold 9.7 million copies from January through September 2013 alone.
– Philanthropist: From One Hand to Another, which he founded in 2008, helps kids ages 7 to 20 meet their potential through music, technology, art, and motivation.
– Fashion Designer: Clothing lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream, started in 2005 with BAPE founder Nigo, manufacture high-quality streetwear such as T-shirts, denim, shoes, shirts, and accessories. Regularly guest-designs for companies as varied as Gap, Timberland, Topshop, and Moncler.
– Media Mogul: His YouTube channel, i am OTHER, launched in 2012 with eight programs. It currently has more than 250,000 sub- scribers and 21 million views.
– Author: 2012’s memoir Places and Spaces I’ve Been (with contributions from Buzz Aldrin and Jay Z).
– Furniture Designer: Perspective Chair (with Domeau & Pérès), May 2008. Tank Chair (with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin), November 2009.
– Jewelry Designer: Collaboration with Louis Vuitton (2008).
– Fine Artist: Collaboration with Takashi Murakami on a sculpture for Art Basel (2009).
– Textile Manufacturer: Partner in Bionic Yarn, which turns plastic bottles into clothing and bags.
– Tech Star: Cofounded UJAM, a cloud-based music- creation and pro- duction platform, in 2010.
– Gearhead: Co-owner of Brooklyn Machine Works bicycles.
– Architect: Announced plans to collaborate with Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid on a prefab house.
INDOCHINO
With over 50 events and galas every year, it is safe to say I wear a lot of formal clothing. In fact, I am pretty tough on my clothes with the frequency of wear, activity and travel I do in them. I typically have my suits made by a custom clothier in St. Louis, MO, Billy Grey. This summer, I wanted to try something new… enter Indochino, a purveyor of custom tailored premium quality suits based of the latest designer styles. They deliver the goods and they deliver them fast. They focus on busy professionals, hard to fit body types and any man looking for quality and speed. How fast? The ordering process takes 10 minutes top to bottom. That fast.
SETH GODIN
In October of 2013, I was able to cross off one of the things on my wish list… to work with Seth Godin. Seth (in my opinion) is one of the greatest marketers and thought leaders of our time. He has written fourteen books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. Every one has been a bestseller. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything. Seth’s blog is perhaps the most popular in the world written by a single individual. Check him out! www.sethgodin.com
MANHATTAN PORTAGE
For years I used a DJ bag as my workbag. I loved the slightly larger size (to fit the LP’s in – remember those?) and the many compartments for computer accessories. In 2013, I definitely needed an upgrade! I discovered Manhattan Portage by searching what other production and touring people were using. This bag company started in 1983 with the simple philosophy to be “New York Tough.” Almost thirty years later it is certainly ringing true. From Montreal to Melbourne, Osaka to Oslo, and Stockholm to San Francisco, Manhattan Portage’s line of bags are indeed everywhere and carried by everyone. Despite their sweeping global popularity, Manhattan Portage remains loyal to their NYC roots. Check it out! www.manhattanportage.com
DAVID BOWIE EXHIBITION at the V&A
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London was given unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive to curate the first international retrospective of the extraordinary career of David Bowie – one of the most pioneering and influential performers of modern times. David Bowie is explored the creative processes of Bowie as a musical innovator and cultural icon, tracing his shifting style and sustained reinvention across five decades. The V&A’s Theatre and Performance curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh selected more than 300 objects that were brought together for the very first time. They include handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, photography, film, music videos, set designs, Bowie’s own instruments and album artwork. The exhibition is on tour for the next three years and will be appearing at the Museum of Image and Sound, Sao Paulo, Brazil (28 January to 21 April 2014), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (September 2014 to January 2015) the Philharmonie de Paris/ Cité de la Musique, Paris (2 March to 31 May 2015) and finally to the Groninger Museum in The Netherlands (15 December 2015 to 15 March 2016). Check it out HERE!
STATION TO STATION
Station to Station was a project by multi-media artist Doug Aitken and sponsored by Levi’s. The list of participants in Station to Station was an impressive array of creative personalities — too many to list — including Patti Smith, Ernesto Neto, James Turrell, Alice Waters, Theaster Gates, Olafur Eliasson, and Nam June Paik, among many others. The train started in New York with stops in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Kansas City, Santa Fe, Winslow, Barstow, and Los Angeles, before it came to a stop in Oakland, CA. The train itself was a moving kinetic light sculpture, additionally the “programming” was designed to bring together widely known creative figures with local legends from each municipality drawing from art, music, food, literature and film. The roving festival featured performances by Dan Deacon, Lia Ices, No Age, Savages and several other musicians, along with art by Kenneth Anger, Urs Fischer, Liz Glynn, Evan Holm, Carsten Höller, Yayoi Kusama, Raymond Pettibon, and Ryan Trecartin. Check it out HERE.
THE VIOLET HOUR – CHICAGO
My friend Mark took me to this Wicker Park speakeasy in July for a nightcap after a magnificent meal at Trenchermen on North Avenue. You will likely walk right past it because there is no sign, only a yellow light bulb! Once inside, you’ll spy a framed note requesting burgers to refrain from cell phone use. But the decor is what’s really striking: cornflower-blue walls, white crown molding, crystal chandeliers and gorgeous hardwood floors give the space an elegant ballroom-like feel. Extremely high-backed blue leather chairs clustered around tiny white nightstands illuminated by candlelight add an Alice-in-Wonderland air. Here’s the real goods: The classic cocktails (gimlet, negroni, paloma) are superb. Bartenders make each with painstaking precision, using housemade simple syrups, bitters and twice-filtered ice cubes. But expect to wait a bit for each beverage as bartenders lovingly labor over their shakers–no doubt you’ll find it worth it. theviolethour.com
A QUEEN WITHIN
Produced by an international team of thought-leaders, curators, artists, fashion insiders, and chess players, the exhibition explores the various archetypes of the queen, as well as how storytelling and symbols capture the imagination of innovative fashion designers. Extremely rare pieces from one of the world’s largest private collections of Alexander McQueen’s work join garments by Gianfranco Ferré, Gucci, Hussein Chalayan, Iris van Herpen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor & Rolf and approximately 25 other European and Asian designers known for their daring, remarkable work. A Queen Within investigates which archetypes can be seen to form the idea of a queen, or metaphorically a woman. I was honored to be at the New York press event and play a part in producing the Queens Gala in St. Louis. For more coverage and pics of the gala, click HERE.
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI
In the basement of a Tokyo office building, 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono works tirelessly in his world-renowned restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. As his son Yoshikazu faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes and taking over the legendary restaurant, Jiro relentlessly pursues his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi. This documentary says everything about people who are passionate about what they do and want to be the best in the world.
2004 DOM PERIGNON JEFF KOONS EDITION
What do you get when you bring one of the most iconic, irreverent artists of the last quarter-century together with the renown of one of Champagne’s greatest estates? The Dom Pérignon Jeff Koons Edition! This fantastic Champagne lives in bottles playfully reinvented as only Jeff Koons could. For $20,000, you can enjoy one of these fabulous bottles of bubbly encased in a Jeff Koons sculpture. Please don’t forget to invite me over when you pop the cork!
