Since the early 1970’s Duane Hanson has been making startlingly lifelike sculptures of middle America accomplished through a complex process of casting from live models, recreated in bronze or fibreglass resin.

Duane Hanson concentrated on the naked fact of the subject, an astonishingly persuasive counterfeit of another human being as a fully realised physical presence.

The insistence on the irreplaceability of each person, and on the dignity to be accorded to those who are usually overlooked or spurned as ordinary are central to Duane Hanson’s art and humanitarian vision.

Duane Hanson’s sculptures of people are just too believable. Creating vignettes of real American life, he doesn’t forget a single detail. Casting his figures from live models in his studio, Duane Hanson then adorned them with every attribute of life-likeness from tiny body hairs, varicose viens, bruises, and hangnails. He hand picked their clothes from second hand shops, and accessorised them accordingly.

Upon encountering one of these extraordinarily realistic sculptures, the typical reaction of a museum visitor unfamiliar with Duane Hanson’s work can be among the most interesting and amusing events one might witness in a museum or gallery.
Hanson’s sculptures, especially those that are appropriate in a gallery setting such as Seated Artist, Museum Guard, Janitor or Old Couple on a Bench, are often dismissed as people at rest-sitting or standing like any other visitor. Many visitors may never know that those people they passed were actually artworks. On other occasions a visitor might try to engage the sculptures in conversation. Of course, after a few moments they discover that these are not real people after all!

Duane Hanson was an extraordinary craftsman and an observer of life. In creating an artwork, he first determined the proper pose for the sculpture. Working with a model, the artist took photos until he was satisfied with the figure’s position. Then the artist formed rubber and plaster molds of each part of the subject’s body-arms, legs, torso and head molds were each created separately. When the molds dried, they were cut off the model and filled with flesh-colored polyester resin reinforced with fiberglass.

NOT SURE IF YOU’RE GOING TO FIT ONE OF THESE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM, SO CHECK THEM OUT AT THE Saatchi Gallery.

transformers…

early japanese cassette tapes that transform into dinosaurs or those released by hasbro in 1984, the generation 1 transformer
transforms from tape cassette, to robot, animal etc. and back.
via toybin.

Toygiants is a breathtaking book that takes an illustrated journey into the world of toys.
By Daniel and Geo Fuchs, this collection of photos not only captures the pure enjoyable essence of toys, but it also casts light on the idea of this tangible medium having the capacity to impact our perception of reality and fiction.
Seriously, this book is mega-heavy in a deep kinda way so don’t pass this up.

This 10 x 12.5-Inch book is the perfect size for your coffee table, and it’s 216 glossy, full color pages will keep you visually entertained for hours.

Available at the KidRobot Store for about $ 65..

For more informations go to Toykio.

The Kidrobot Ad drops two juicy bits…
First, nice shots of eBoy’s upcoming Peecol series - looks dope, especially the Astronof.

And now, we can reveal…
Kidrobot’s fourth store - Kidrobot Miami (winter ‘07).
Good to finally have it “official”…

Retro video game iconic heroes have been making a come back for some time now. From T-shirts through to shoes, we have seen the likes of Mario, Donkey Kong and dare we say their rival, Sega’s Sonic The Hedgehog plastering their pixelated faces all over some funky wears.

Hot on the heels of this fad, gaming giant Nintendo have promoted their latest baby Wii in Italy with this interesting wall display created by a series of posted notes. Behind each not lies a message inviting the recipient to relive the 80’s through some classic games available on Wii. The post it notes make a nice 3D representation of a 2D pixel.

scaredem!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
he’s a maniac.
blimey!

check it out at STUSSY

Blow-up dolls cost up to $5,000 a head, and not everyone wants one to keep at home. Sometimes, you just need a quickie. That’s why there are an increasing number of businesses in Japan that pimp them out to clients the same way the human sex industry. In the blow-up doll escort service industry, the mannequins-for-hire are put into golf bags and brought to your house for a fee of about 5000 yen an hour. Or, you could have a romantic long weekend with it for about 35,000 yen ($300). Not much more than a rental car, and much cheaper than buying your own blow-up doll. And if you don’t want the doll to find out where you live, you could go to a “love doll rental room,” which can also be rented by an hour for about 9,000 yen an hour.

Yeah, I know… borrowing a used blow-up doll is pretty nasty. But these days, blow-up dolls are super high-tech, made of soft vinyl, urethane, and silicone to make them feel like real women. Except, unlike real women, these ladies never complain.
If you’re into this stuff get your own!

For all of you who love and regret the beautiful times of th 80’s vh1 launched a fabulous board game…
It’s for 4 or more players with features like fun die-cast metal 1980s and themed playing pieces.
For ages 15 yrs. and ⬆ UP…;)

Test your knowledge of 1980s pop culture!!
>> available at Urban Outfitters

Equally fun as Atypyk’s Python tape, this pretty much spells it out for you. Whether you plan to re-enact Reservoir Dogs or have a bunch of rascals at home that need some straight forward advice, or you use it for the office, or the class room, or the dinner table or – well, the options are countless…

Oh and 200′ (66 m) should keep you going for quite a while…

US$13.00

buy shut-up tape

Booty Babe Art is one man’s way of expressing his passion for fantasy art, toys, fashion design, and of course the wonderful variety of female beauty. In effect the project is a tribute to the women that make our day, taking the very definition of “Booty Babe” to new levels.

“What is a ‘Booty Babe?’” you may ask. As a term of endearment, a Booty Babe is generally a woman with curves. Waist to hip ratio is usually breath-taking. She’s not necessarily run-way model material, in the traditional sense, but she feels sexy and her self-confidence makes her glow. She’s not afraid to wear skin-tight outfits – and we love her for it!!
Now you’re getting the picture. You’ve seen her at the mall, in line at the bank, grocery shopping, and out dancing. She’s sweet and sexy, stylish and smart; and her body language states, “This is who I am, and I LOVE being me.”

In 1998, with this in mind, artist Spencer Davis started adding material to an otherwise skinny, 12″ fashion doll. Taking cues from Black Tail magazine and a few liberties of his own, the first Booty Babe was conceived. Over the past few years since, Spencer has exhibited his Booty Babe Art sculptures at numerous art gallery exhibitions in Los Angeles and in Oregon. But this is only the beginning…

For more go to Booty Babe Art