Kristen Baumlier

NEWS

Butt x Better – Upcycling and “Trashion” in Berlin

Posted on June 1, 2013June 10, 2013 by Kbaumlier

Ever see someone wearing a cardboard box, a paper outfit, or an acrobat on tightrope wearing a outfit made of upcycled materials? The fifth Butt x Better will be held on July 7^th in Berlin, which is an event for alternative designers, artists, and activists to use creativity and upcycling to bring attention to some of the negative practices in the fashion world and provide a critique of consumer culture.

The event has a number of events that culminate in a large show that will be in the center of Berlin, at the Friedrichstrasse, which is a major shopping street. Anyone is invited to participate, and the organizers write, “We want to call on EVERYBODY, to get involved! Friedrichstrasse is open for us, let’s start a parade which will blow off people’s clothes! Fight Fashion-Terror, Present Alternatives -that’s the motto!”

There are tents with upcycled materials, and participants also are invited to exchange clothes with others. At the event there will be a parade, performances, art installations, music, and a fashion show on a large catwalk structure. Speechs at the event will talk about issues, facts, and also communicate a call for change in the fashion industry.

The event is open, but the organizers promote several values that include:

– We promote ideas, attitudes and actions directed towards a more sustainable society. That means: We are not a promotion platform for products.
– We especially support unconventional forms of activism. Political correctness may be bent.
– We strongly encourage to irritate rather than affirm stereotypical images (e.g. about gender, ethnicity, bodies, etc.)
– We are against aggressive behavior and violent actions.

I watched a couple of videos of last year’s events that show people wearing amazing wing structures made of paper, stilt walkers wearing a cape made of post-it notes, and a woman wearing a bra that looks like it is made of fried eggs. I can’t make the event this year, but I am keeping the website in my things to participate in the future folder on my computer – for the future. Check out the videos, which are pretty interesting to watch (and funny.)

Image Source:
Fashion Circus “But and Better”: beatings on the catwalk Online Article (Translated to English

Links:

Fashion Circus “But and Better”: beatings on the catwalk Online Article (Translated to English

Video about the event

Video from the Butt x Better Event 2003

Food Font and Kbaumlier Have Relocated to North Carolina

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

What fits into a box and an orange tube, and moved from Cleveland, OH to Durham, NC? Food Font! Well, sort of. The project is bigger than two boxes, but the materials used for live events (minus the table and tent) are currently packed in one box and a tube.

Kristen Baumlier, the founder of Food Font has relocated to the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area in North Carolina. In the past few monthes lots of packing, cleaning, and moving has been in the works, but we made it!

Soon some summer Food Font events will be scheduled. The development of the Food Font tool is continuing. Currently the mechanics and design document is being authored, which is a detailed written document with screen shots and plans which is used by the programmer to build the tool.

Lately there has been some emails coming in to the Food Font site asking about when the tool will be available. Thanks everyone for writing in. Official word is that the tool is planned to be up and working later this Summer!

In the meantime, why not work on making some food alphabets? Use the checklist and directions to get started!

Links:

foodfont.com

LightWall: An Upcycled Studio Space That is Up for Auction

Posted on May 26, 2013May 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

ReSpace is a competition that aims to raise awareness of reuse materials while showcasing creative and successful space designs. For 2012, the challenge was to design a small flexible space that could be used as a workshop, studio space, shop, or community space that was made out of reused and upcycled materials.

There were over 30 entries, and the winning design was student entry created by Scott Hefner and Abe Drechsler who attend the NCSU College of Design in Raleigh, NC created the design Light Wall Pavilion.

The structure is 18.5′ long, 11.5′ wide and 11′ tall. It is made of many donated or salvaged materials that were came from the area of Wake County and various programs of Habitat Humanity of Wake County. The materials include salvaged lumber, maple flooring that came from Chapel Hill High School, old pallets, reused siding and roofing, and reused glass bottles from various restaurants and bars in downtown Raleigh.

In a period of 48 hours, volunteers worked to build the winning design, and the structure is up for auction, and closes on June 11th at 8pm.

I’m planning to check out the structure this weekend. The wall made of bottles and reused flooring and counters have texture and character, and I look forward to seeing the pavilion in person. (I don’t plan to put in a bid though, right now we are looking for a new house to live in, and I don’t think the one room pavilion will meet our needs.)

Want to see how it was built? There is a great short time-lapse video where you can see the structure built , with the 48 hours of work crunched into a 1 minute timelapse.

Image Source:
habitatonlineauction.com

Links:

www.youtube.com – LightWall Construction Video

habitatonlineauction.com

wakerestore.org/showcase/light-wall-pavilion

www.respace.org

Food Font and Kbaumlier Have Relocated to North Carolina

Posted on May 25, 2013June 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

In the meantime, why not work on making some food alphabets? Use the checklist and directions to get started!

Links:

foodfont.com

Eating honeysuckle, dandelions, and acorns: Foraging is on the Rise

Posted on May 25, 2013May 28, 2013 by Kbaumlier

Recently I have noticed an increase in public events and workshops that focus on foraging and finding edible food that grows wild. Last year at some of the farmer markets I went to I saw purslane, dandelion leaves, and wild onions for sale.

Since I have been in the Durham the past couple of days, I have sometimes smelled a sweet smell which comes from blooming honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is edible and in season, and can be used in desserts and drinks. The flowers can be added to maple syrup or honey and used for pancakes, waffles and toast. Someone told me about a local ice cream shop that makes honeysuckle ice cream this time of year. I tried tasting the honey of the flower (a 8 year old boy showed me how) and could taste a subtle sweet flavor.

This week in Pittsboro, NC there is a Full Moon Forage and Wild Feast, where attendees can learn how to find edible plants and how to use them to create a meal. The menu includes wild greens salad topped with wild flowers & homemade dressing; amaranth & acorn crust pizza; savory wild greens frittata; honeysuckle flower dessert & herbal tea. At the dinner you learn how to find the ingredients, get the recipes, and also eat the food.

The acorn crust that is listed at the meal peaked my interest, and I found a webpage that gives directions on how to make acorn flour. It sounds pretty simple but is a number of steps: forage, grind, soak, filter, and dry. Acorns are actually very nutritious and are good sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats, as well as the minerals calcium and phosphorus. Acorns can be used to make bread, crusts, or to thicken soups.

The first wild food and herb market in the United States opened in Carrboro, NC on March 10th, 2013. The Wild Food + Herb Market takes place one Sunday afternoon each month from March through November from 1‐4 PM. The next market is on June 2^nd, and there is a long list of vendors and educational organizations who will be in attendance. The market is a place to buy, sell, trade, and meet others who are interested in wild foods and herbs.

Wild food is divided into several groups; wild edibles, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, and tress. Some of the wild foods that I have tried so far include dandelion, wild strawberries, violets, sumac, garlic, lemon balm, honeysuckle, and morel mushrooms. Next to where I am living there is a forest, not sure what I can find to eat there, but I plan to attend the next Wild Food + Herb market and learn more, and to try eating the honeysuckle again.

Image Source:
theabundancefoundation.org/wild-food-herb-market

Links:

www.wikihow.com/Make-Acorn-Flour

theabundancefoundation.org/wild-food-herb-market