THEMES – pillowculture

PILLOW Pageant, A.I.R. Gallery – AfterShock: Marine Life Emergency Pillow

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artist pillows, EXHIBITIONS, U.S. patent office

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artist/filmmaker: Jennifer Zackin 1923 Pillow, Marine Life Saving Belt and the Like, M.M. Dessau U.S. Patent no. 1,470,598 Aftershock references the 1923 U.S. pillow patent Marine Life Saving Belt and the Like. Conceived to raise awareness about the 2010 B.P. oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the state of emergency of aquatic life, this work serves as a reminder of our dependence on fossil fuel. The pillows are made of…

PILLOW Pageant, A.I.R. Gallery – Lola Almohada

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artist pillows, EXHIBITIONS, U.S. patent office

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artist: Paula Barragan filmmaker: Fritz Boonzaier 1932 Pillow, N.Arnold U.S. patent no. Des. 86,345 In Spanish, Lola is a diminutive for Dolores, meaning grief and pain. This pillow has a name but not an identity. It is like a guardian angel for all seasons. A tender body pillow for night, comfortable when loneliness and regret float in the darkness, its warm texture carries one safely into the morning light, fullfilling the need for love,…

PILLOW Pageant, A.I.R. Gallery – Pinus Strobus Pillow

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artist pillows, EXHIBITIONS, U.S. patent office

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artist: Barbara Siegel filmmaker: Augusta Palmer 1927 Sleeping Pillow, P.J. O’Leary U.S. patent no. 1,617,822 Pinus Strobus Pillow is based on a patent filed in 1927 by Edward M. Murphy for a sleep-inducing pillow “with an aromatic pocket to be sewn on the surface thereof.” The particular concept and design of the pillow was inspired by the work of horticulturist Sidney Waxman (1923-2005), who dedicated a lifetime to propagating at least 40 varieties…

PILLOW Pageant, A.I.R. Gallery – HaPiBo Pillow

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artist pillows, EXHIBITIONS, U.S. patent office

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artist: Helene Renard filmmaker: Ben Berlin 1970 Combination Pillow and Crash Helmet, S. Young U.S. patent no. 3,538,508 HaPiBo is a multi-functional object made of felt. Smash your face into it, wear it on your head, or pop it into a Priority Mail box and mail it to a friend. This pillow is from a line of works tailored to shipping containers and reconfigurable for a number of uses. The pillow can be…

$PILLOW Pageant, A.I.R. Gallery- Refraction Pillow$

PILLOW Pageant, A.I.R. Gallery- Refraction Pillow

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artist pillows, EXHIBITIONS, U.S. patent office

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artist: Yoko Ishikawa 1951 Pillow for Prone Posture Sleeping, C.M. O’Brian U.S. patent no. 2,556,629 Less of a pillow that cushions or bolsters a part of the body, this piece, when suspended, casts a series of ever-changing shadows and can be used to promote a state of contemplation leading to sleep. In this capacity, it falls into the extensive patent category of sleep-aids.

Pillow Culture Curates: U.S. Pillow Patents 1897 – 2010

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artist pillows, COMPETITIONS, EXHIBITIONS/PERFORMANCES

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Pillow Culture chosen by A.I.R. Gallery , Brooklyn, NY, to guest curate exhibition PILLOW Pageant as as part of their Open A.I.R. curatorial series. Coming SEPTEMBER 2010 PILLOW Pageant is an online exhibition on the pillow as a cultural artifact and as an engineered object of invention. Encountered in every phase of life and universally engaged as an aid to sleep, the pillow has escaped scrutiny as a designed object. Though…