Science, labs and petri trays are definitely not my cup of tea! And to be honest, I sure don’t mind leaving all the smart talk to the smart people (hi there, soon to be Dr. Kayless aka my little brother!). I only say that because the minute I saw Amitay Gilad’s lab beauties it all changed. I don’t really know what went inside Amitay’s head while illustrating this super magical-chaotic-complex creation, but I know for sure that I wouldn’t mind seeing a lot more from where that came from!
FYI, This series of 3 illustrations is part of the LaCulture art exhibition, which was curated by the inspiring and energetic Dar Rotem and Itay Blaish.
cargocollective.com/amitay7

I’ve been following Avraham Cornfeld’s footsteps for quite a long time (since he graduated back in 2010 to be exact). This guy has a special and unstoppable drive and he does it all (some Hebrew friendly examples like: alefalefalef, Untitled, backtomenu and not to forget his artistic side as a photographer…) Anyways, next week he’ll be showcasing his latest adventure, a typographic collaboration with design student Didi Kfir, who illustrated the Hebrew alphabetical letters of Avraham’s Mekomi font (“Mekomi” means “Local” in Hebrew). Didi illustrated the most whimsical and dreamy animals, which compliment the letters perfectly.

A collaboration between a huge company (aka Ikea) and one of the most exciting design departments in Israel (aka Shenkar’s Textile Design Department) can only mean heaven on earth! The 4th year students had to design “a big change at a small price” to make better everyday life for as many people around the world as possible. One of my absolute faves was Michal Fierstein and her two woven and hand painted crests. In Michal’s eyes, the mix between the traditional and modern techniques can be a bridge for lots of new ideas to invoke.
{Photos by Shacham Zaguri}
You can get in touch with Michal at:
fi.michal {at} googlemail {dot} com

When my friend Noa first shared with me Roni Reuveny’s meat fruits I didn’t know what to make of it. I LOVE my fruits and I eat them like crazy but… There is something quite disturbing about these very much realistic fruits made out of polymer clay. A lot of emotions and associations come to mind when it comes to meat and so… Roni was thinking about Adam, Eve and the apple when she began working on these bleeding fruits.
This project is part of an exhibition that explores the relation between meat and the culture of BBQ in Israel.
{Photos by Noa Kedmi}
You can get in touch with Roni at:
ronireuveny {at} gmail {dot} com

I’m not that much into hats HOWEVER, when I see a cake like hat, it’s a whole different story! Tami Bar-Lev, a hat designer (yes, there is a hat designer here in Israel!) whom I should have known about a long long time ago designed this super crazy hat for the Happily Ever After exhibition that closed back in October. I know, I know, I’m a bit behind but like the saying goes, better late then sorry. Right? So… back to Tami and her out of this world fluffy, dreamy, yummy hat. I know nothing about Tami but I’m gonna fix this fatal error in no time. To be continued…
{Photos by Dudi Hasson}
You can get in touch with Tami at:
tamibar {at} gmail {dot} com

Something realy good is happening in Jerusalem over the past few years. So many exciting exhibitions and design events that I find myself keep coming back to the city time after time after time. Even today, after I finish writing this post, I’ll be heading to Jerusalem’s Design Week opening event and if you know me, you probably know that I’m super excited about Bezalel’s Side Effects Exhibition. I can’t help myself, I’m all about young, emerging students! In this exhibition, I’ll be seeing some new designs from the M.Des Master’s Degree in Industrial Design. This is just a heads up! I’ll be writing some more about it in a few weeks.

Next week I’ll visit the “If There is No Bread, Let Them Eat Cake” exhibition. This exhibition examines the fine line between culinary, art and design. I’ll tell you much more after I see it all but until then, I have no choice but to share with you Shira Barzilay’s interpretation to this famous phrase by Marie Antoinette.
Shira, one of my favorite fashion illustrators, created the Feed Me series. In her own charming way she took five random cake plates and dressed them with her fun/happy/passionate illustrations. And if you ask me, the red cherry on top of the hats should be her trade mark!

Yesterday I visited an intriguing exhibition at the Benyamini Ceramics Center. It goes by the name Donkey, but “focuses on the grave situation of ceramics as a medium in the field of Israeli art. It strives to touch upon life and death, upon the intertwined physical and mental dangers threatening practitioners of art and ceramics.” As I walked up and down between the three floors, I spent quite some time staring at Uri Shapira’s salted fields and Hila Amram’s green lab… These two know how to touch a soft spot inside me time after time, and it’s always a pleasure finding out more about their work.
{DesignBreak found the Donkey here}

Yesterday was a very special day. I got to spend some quality time with my bestie, who lives in London and whom I haven’t seen in a year. Anyways, we decided to do something different than drinking lots of coffee and talking till we drop. Instead we drove all the way to The Israel Museum in Jerusalem to explore Ron Arad’s 720° installation. What can I say, Ron Arad is Ron Arad and he never ceases to amaze! It all began with his Curtain Call installation at the Roundhouse. Lucky for us, Ron has a strong connection to Israel ;) It all felt like a magical forest, made out of silicone branches but I don’t really feel like talking too much about it. Here is a behind the scenes look.

Today is all about jewlery and I like the sound of that! I’ll be starting my evening, exploring some of my favorite accessories by Hila Rawet Karni which I love, and from there I’ll be going to the opening of the pop-up gallery exhibition Foreign Body. I’m super excited about today because I’ll be able to meet in person some of the designers, whom I’ve been crazy obsessed with along the years. Among them are: Shiri Avda, Roni Pinkas, Coral Cohen to name a few… “The works in the exhibition positioning the body as a locus for unfamiliar encounters between jewelry object and wearer.” Sounds like a perfect Thursday, if you ask me!

Back in May I asked my sweet friend Sivan, to act as my eyes and ears for a day at the NYC National Stationary Show, which I’ve been dreaming of going to. In this dreamy paper heaven, you can spot all the up and coming stars of stationary, and view all the new and exciting creations of the rock stars of this aesthetic world. Since I can’t pass an opportunity to add a piece of pretty paper or a fancy notebook to my massive collection, Sivan did that for me (I didn’t give her a choice:).
Rifle Paper Co. (my absolute fav), Alee & Press, Moglea, Paper Lovely, Pawling (to die for!) and Sugar Paper are just the tip of the iceberg!
{Photos by Sivan Askayo}

There is no way I’ll miss an opportunity to write about the mad world of one special illustrator, that goes by the name Gabriella Barouch. Since graduating only last year, this energetic creature illustrates 24/7 and you can see her work EVERYWHERE (try googling her name, and you’ll see for yourself). Some smart people in Jerusalem chose Gabi as artist of the year and that’s why Gabi mapped the city and made her own illustrated journey diary. I’m super curious to see it all but until then, here is a sneak peek.
FYI, Gabi is also working with the Soul Royale gang on an animated treat, as part of her illustrated journey.
To be continued…

Earlier today, I’ve visited The Design Museum Holon and had an up close and intimate look at 80 of Yohji Yamamoto‘s breathtaking creations. Yeah, Yohji Yamamoto’s vision and detailed world, finally made it to Israel! Touching, sometimes even smelling and gazing at the art pieces made me appreciate the Japanese mind even more! If I have to point at only one thing I really liked, it has to be the upper gallery red room installation. I spent the majority of the time in this room (more than 30min), trying to get inside Mr. Yamamoto’s head or better yet, his dreams. The sea of tangled light bulbs and the Japanese vibe made it all hundred times more magical…

Today was a good day!
The 2012 Graduate Shows began with Shenkar College‘s Textile Design Department “Going Fabric” exhibition. Thanks to a special someone (thank you, Noa!), I got a private VIP tour by the super sweet and extra talented Maya Haimovich.
I enjoyed the behind the scenes look and I can honestly say that it’s always fun hearing a designer talk about the design process.
I’ll be writing a lot more about my favorite projects in the up coming weeks but in the meantime, here is a sneak peek from my Instagram feed.
{Photos by me}

Whenever you look up, you probably see this sweet little creature, around the streets of Tel Aviv. It was chosen as the face of I am an Other, The Sixth Exhibit of Israeli jewelry at the Eretz Israel Museum. I haven’t been there yet but I feel like this little guy has been following me around… The one behind this super sensitive creation is the young jeweler, Tehila Levi Hyndman. I need to do my thing and find out a lot more about her! I’m sure I’ll be writing about this exhibition once I visit but in the meanwhile I had to share this part gecko part butterfly mixture.
{Photos by Igal Fredo}
You can get in touch with Tehila here:
tehilalevi {at} gmail {dot} com