Glenn’s got shirts down to a T

Designer Glenn Jones is a bit of an internet celebrity. His t-shirts are designed in Auckland, printed in Texas and popular all over the internet. “It blows me away that I can live in New Zealand, that this can happen from my sofa,” he says. Although he’s huge on the web and in the lucrative US, he’s kept a relatively low profile at home. But the rest of the world is catching up. Based on a totally unscientific assumption about Idealog readers, you probably know someone who owns a Glennz t-shirt—if there’s not one in your own wardrobe already.

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Invest in the best

Have you been thinking about investing in smarter technologies for your business? NZICT, which represents tech companies in New Zealand, is running a competition to find a deserving business with an ICT project that could benefit from a boost. NZICT will match the winner’s financial contribution dollar for dollar up to $10,000 with goods and services, and provide a consultant to maximise value. To qualify, your company will have between five and 25 fulltime employees and a turnover of over $500,000. And to enter, you’ll have to answer a few questions on its website by October 30. The winner will be announced in December 2010.

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Going … going …

It’s  the last week to enter our Eru Dangerspiel giveaway, so don’t forget to get your entries in by September 30. Email editor@idealog.co.nz and tell us a) the name of one other musician in the band and b) whether you’d like tickets to the Auckland or Wellington show.

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A decade of Fashion Week

Take a stroll down the catwalk of our sartorial past with NZ On Screen’s ‘September’ issue, launched in honour of Fashion Week’s 10th anniversary. From TV showpieces to docos on designers, from Liz Mitchell on power dressing for Gloss to Fashion Quarterly editor Fiona Hawtin’s front-row reports, it’s all here. Former Miss Universe Lorraine Downes, a teenage Rachel Hunter, and future TV presenter Hilary Timmins all appear in the 1986 Benson and Hedges Fashion Design Awards, while WORLD makes a stand for Nuclear Free Fashion, Jesus and Elvis in Corbans Fashion Collections 1995. And if you’re an Orcon broadband customer you can watch all the videos you like for free without blowing your cap.

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Seuss comes to town

It’s not every day a major international art show comes to New Zealand, let alone the middle of nowhere. It’s often said that Woodville, historically a rest stop for travellers and hunters, is ‘halfway to anywhere’ but next month it will host a 70-year retrospective exhibition of Dr Seuss’ work, including his not-to-be-missed Secret Art Series. While everyone may be familiar with his book illustrations, most of the public are unaware that Seuss was foremost a visual artist who painted and sculpted for his own enjoyment. This collection of imagery reveals a private side of the artist that most viewers have never before seen. Check out the show at the Artmosphere Gallery from October 6–16, or come along to the opening evening on October 5 at 5pm.

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Minuscule masterpiece

Meet Dot, the world’s smallest stop-motion animated character. Shot entirely on the new Nokia N8, this video does what it was meant to do: show off the smartphone’s 12-megapixel capabilities. It also showcases the CellScope attachment, a microscopic device with 50x magnification that was attached to the handset. The team behind Wallace & Gromit used a 3D printer to make 50 different versions of Dot, because she was too small to manipulate otherwise. Get the full behind-the-scenes treatment here.

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Ease of speech

Prohibition may be a thing of the past, but speakeasies are not. Artspace in Auckland is hosting its first SpeakEasy on October 7, celebrating its modernist location in the former Newton Post Office. You’ll get to hear artists, designers, architects and historians give quick-fire presentations in a lively exchange of ideas about architecture and design on K Road. And there’ll be complimentary wine, coffee and even retro-themed nibbles. Tickets are $10 at the door; the event starts at 7pm.

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Pop-up relief

The Kiwi design and craft community is banding together to offer a ‘handmade hand’ to families suffering after the Canterbury earthquakes with the launch of a temporary ‘pop-up’ shop on artisan marketplace Felt selling donated items from leading illustrators and designers. FeltAid is the first ‘pop-up’ relief fundraising shop of its kind, spawned from a discussion in an online blog forum following the disaster. Goods for sale include art, jewellery, stationery, clothing, toys, homeware and much more, with all proceeds  going to the Red Cross Canterbury Appeal. It’s open until October 31, so there’s plenty of time to stock up on Christmas gifts.

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Alpine beauty

Speaking of Christchurch, artist Debra Fallowfield has come up with her own response—these spunky Southern Alps rings. Buy one before September 30 and 10 percent of the purchase price will be donated to the Red Cross Canterbury appeal. Fallowfield carves and sculpts each sterling silver ring by hand, so every one is unique; no two will ever share exactly the same peaks or valleys. She’s also working on a “Fault-line” series, so watch this space.

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A dicey undertaking

If dice have ambitions beyond being rolled out for the odd game of Cluedo or Monopoly, then these counters struck the jackpot. Artist Richard Alvarez used more than 14,000 dice to make these amazing mosaics of two iconic Hollywood faces.

Quote of the week

If there’s nothing happening on your site, if you’re not in people’s faces all the time, sales will decline.

—Glenn Jones on the importance of engagement

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