Ercol Seating at Kaufmann Mercantile

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—01. Designed by Lucian Ercolani.

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Kauffman Mercantile do a fantastic job of buying items that have traditionally been harder to find in North America, and the most recent additions to that list are the Ercol bar stool and stacking chair. Made in the UK using strong Windsor wedge joints, these simple wooden designs represent some of the most beautiful seating options around.

—Kaufmann Mercantile

John Fahey: Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You

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5 CDs, 115 tracks
Slip, hardcover, 12 x 12 inches
88 pages, 136 B&W illustrations
Released by Dust-to-Digital

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"More than ten years in the making, this critically acclaimed box set – originally published in 2011 – features the earliest recordings of one of the most influential guitarists of the 1960s and ’70s, blues and folk pioneer John Fahey (1939-2001). The five CDs feature 115 tracks, most of which are available on CD for the first time, remastered from Fonotone owner Joe Bussard’s reel-to-reel tapes to achieve pristine sound quality. The CD set is accompanied by a book – the first ever written on Fahey – featuring a host of essays as well as a poem by Byron Coley and Douglas Blazek’s 1967 interview with Fahey, published here for the first time. Focusing on a critical early period in Fahey’s career, John Fahey: Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You is a challenging, engrossing introduction to a figure called 'the folk guitar-playing equivalent of William Burroughs or Bukowski' by Pete Townshend."

—Available from Artbook

Sasquatchfabrix. Pig Leather Hat

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—01. Made in Japan.
—02. Deerskin chin strap.

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Avant-garde Japanese brand Sasquatchfabrix. continually produce great-looking accessories. A leather hat could easily be a bad idea, but one closely modelled on the classic US military boonie style is a bonus in my book, especially when rendered in a luxurious yet tough material that can be counted on to stand up to everyday abuse.

—Available from Haven

Churchill Ceramics

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—01. Made in Ojai, California.
—02. Porcelain and stoneware.

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I recently stumbled upon the Silver Lake-based shop Virgil Normal and in doing so discovered Churchill Ceramics. Located in Ojai, the pottery produces simple hand-thrown pieces ranging from ashtrays and mugs to vases in all shapes and sizes – a good selection of which are sold by the LA retailer.

—Churchill Ceramics
—Available from Virgil Normal

How to Draw a Bunny

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—01. Ray Johnson.

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"John Walter and Andrew Moore’s critically acclaimed film, How To Draw A Bunny, delves into the ever-eccentric, unquestionably enigmatic world of Ray Johnson. Billed as a 'Pop Art mystery movie,' How to Draw a Bunny launches into the investigation of the puzzling circumstances surrounding Johnson's suicide on Friday January 13, 1995 that left both his closest admirers as well as the general public baffled, wondering about the role of 'performance' in his life and in relation to his death. From Detroit to Black Mountain College to the streets of New York, How to Draw a Bunny works at the intervals, collaging together the identity of a unique artist who contributed mightily but often in an oblique manner to the explosion of Pop. According to Judith Hoffberg of Artscene, the film 'conveys how the work of the reclusive Johnson was ahead of its time in terms of both its conceptual approach and challenge to the commercial and critical establishment.' Johnson drew together the past and the present, people from all walks of life — dead and alive — and synthesized materials from text, to found objects, to textiles, into collages packed densely with subtle humour, rich pop iconography, and endless allusions to his own wider circle as a never-ending riff on contemporary culture." Watch this intriguing, hard-to-find film wherever you can.

—Ray Johnson Estate

Kenneth Noland: Unbalanced

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Paul Kasmin Gallery
515 West 27th Street
New York, NY 10001
January 28 – February 27th, 2016

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"It’s been on my mind – what would something be like if it were unbalanced? It’s been a vexing question for a long time. But it took the experience of working with radical kinds of symmetry, not just a rectangle, but a diamond shape, as well as extreme extensions of shapes, before I finally came to the idea of everything being unbalanced, nothing vertical, nothing horizontal, nothing parallel. I came to the fact that unbalancing has its own order. In a peculiar way it can still end up feeling symmetrical." Kenneth Noland, 1977

—Paul Kasmin Gallery

Subtle Crew Neck Zip-Up Jacket

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—01. Zip front.
—02. Boa lining.

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Here’s a liner jacket design from the Japanese brand Subtle that, much like their name suggests, offers an understated layer to make the transition from winter to spring a more graceful one. The fit is impeccable as are the details, which include a two-way zipper, boa pile lining, dual front pockets and leather piping around the cuffs. 

—Available from Silver and Gold

Barbour SL Bedale 60/40 Jacket

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—01. Four front pockets.
—02. Rear vents.

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This 60/40 edition of the Barbour Bedale, created for the Japanese market, offers an interesting alternative in terms of fit and fabric. The cotton-nylon blend is one of those classic materials, often used for sturdily built breathable outdoor clothing, that has functioned awfully well since becoming a cult textile in the late 1960s. By using this cloth on a slim cut version of their most beloved jacket style, the British brand have created a real winner.  

—Available from The Content Store