Institute for Y2K Aesthetics

postvespertine:Bed Supperclub (2002)Bangkok, ThailandInterior by...

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 16:39:31 -0700

Bed Supperclub (2002)
Bangkok, Thailand
Interior by Orbit Design Studio

The Y2K Movement: Its History and Resurgence

Sat, 23 Jun 2018 15:04:20 -0700

The Y2K Movement: Its History and Resurgence:

Froyo Tam and Evan Collins were interviewed by Stitch Fashion about the recent resurgence of the Y2K Aesthetic in fashion and music!

anammv: He Jing in Ricostru S/S 18, photographed by Leslie...

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 11:40:02 -0700

anammv:

He Jing in Ricostru S/S 18, photographed by Leslie Zhang

Styled by Cathy Dong, makeup by Clive. x, hair by Issac Yu

Scans from A. Magazine, an Asian-American focused publication...

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 20:00:46 -0700

Scans from A. Magazine, an Asian-American focused publication that ran from 1989-2002, hitting a circulation high of 200,000 in 1999. (Selections are from 1997-2001)

postvespertine: H, a Thailand pop group, with their debut...

Sat, 02 Jun 2018 17:02:16 -0700

postvespertine:

H, a Thailand pop group, with their debut album, Project H (1999)

All of these looks, esp the tank top + baggy rave pants + blobby platform sneaker combo 😍

anthony10000000: VOGUE Gentry Tokyo ‘Vogue’ Computer (Dec....

Tue, 29 May 2018 21:58:32 -0700

anthony10000000:

VOGUE

Gentry Tokyo ‘Vogue’ Computer (Dec. 15, 1999)

Charli XCX at the Levi’s Stadium May 12, 2018 (with a DJ booth...

Sat, 19 May 2018 15:03:33 -0700

Charli XCX at the Levi’s Stadium
May 12, 2018 (with a DJ booth by Karim Rashid in the background!)

J-POP Cafe Odaiba - FANTASTIC DESIGN WORKS (Katsunori Suzuki)...

Fri, 18 May 2018 16:00:52 -0700

J-POP Cafe Odaiba - FANTASTIC DESIGN WORKS (Katsunori Suzuki) (2002)

“Restaurant situated in Sega’s Tokyo Joypolis, this cafe features a futuristic, organic design composed of solid plaster & plastic. The chairs, tables, and walls all seem to meld together into a color-shifting ‘jelly bean gloop’. The approach from the outside deck is a long tunnel leading into the center of the space.”

‘Materialen’ - ELLE Germany (Feb. 1995)Photographer: Christophe...

Sat, 21 Apr 2018 16:20:10 -0700

‘Materialen’ - ELLE Germany (Feb. 1995)

Photographer: Christophe Kutner

UGLYWORLDWIDE x SWEAR Air Revive Collection...

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 16:00:47 -0700

UGLYWORLDWIDE x SWEAR Air Revive Collection (2018)

Model: Jazzelle Zanaughtti (UGLYWORLDWIDE) Photographer: Oscar Ouk

XL Bar & Lounge - 357 W. 16th Street, Chelsea, NYC (April...

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 21:13:08 -0700

XL Bar & Lounge - 357 W. 16th Street, Chelsea, NYC (April 2001-2006)

“…Even the tables change color, as lighting is directed onto the translucent acrylic tops to create the illusion of internal illumination. In keeping with the atmospheric lighting, images are projected onto the ceiling and upper walls from two banks of projectors. Virtual blue skies and fluffy clouds that decorate the ceiling in early-evening turn into crazy graphics or porn by midnight. The bathroom is notable for placing the urinals and wash basins facing each other, with a large glowing fish-tank in between.”

It was apparently featured on an episode of Sex and the City, if anyone knows which episode let me know!

Aesthetic of the Day: Depthcore / Metalheart / Trendwhore...

Sun, 08 Apr 2018 16:00:35 -0700

Aesthetic of the Day: Depthcore / Metalheart / Trendwhore (~1998-2004)

Thought I’d start doing some posts on various aesthetics I’ve been studying since starting my exploration of Y2K four years ago. Metalheart, named for the 2001 book of the same name cataloging the work of Swedish designers Andreas Lindholm and Anders F. Ronnblom, is a visually complex and heavily digital aesthetic popular in the very late 90s and early 2000s. Its precursors include experimental deconstructivist works of designers like Zaha Hadid, the loud and expressive graphics used in rave flyers of the era, and designs by firms ATTIK and Me Company.

The style further developed in online communities like DeviantArt, Customize.org, and Depthcore, becoming more elaborate and complex as time went on. The hallmarks of this aesthetic included intricately-crafted, abstract, chaotic, and dramatic digital compositions, futuristic ‘tech’ interfaces with superfluous type, extensive overlays and effects, short (sometimes cryptic or poetic) phrases, and mainly dark/cyberpunk titles like ‘Deterioration, Injektion, Overdose, Biohazard, Brokenfaith’ to name a few. Since the popularity of this style was concurrent with an era of intensive user customization, it manifested in a variety of forum signatures, wallpapers, UIs, and skins for mp3/media programs.

As the style started to become dominant and over-saturated in these communities, it gained the more derisive title of ‘Trendwhore’.

This look eventually morphed together with the more vector-based, bright-colored and flowery ‘McBling’ aesthetic. Since Metalheart is relatively recent, this transition is pretty well cataloged on archived sites still accessible today.

Recently the style has re-emerged through the work of artists like Virtual Self (Porter Robinson). If you’re further interested, we have both a Facebook group and Discord dedicated to investigating and expanding our understanding of this oft-forgotten aesthetic.

‘Invisible Dimension’ - Mariko Mori (2018)“The multimedia...

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:07:51 -0700

‘Invisible Dimension’ - Mariko Mori (2018)

“The multimedia artist’s deepening interest in the dark matter and energy of the universe—in particular, superstring theory and particle physics—inspired her latest body of work: eight sculptures, each meticulously produced to represent a different dimension of hidden space and realms. “My exhibition is focused on a vision of the universe that comes from string theory,” she says, “a multiverse existing in an endless cycle where one Big Bang ends and another begins. But I’m not trying to visualize its physicality—just the flow of energy within it.”

Check it out now at the Sean Kelly Gallery in NYC! (March 23rd - April 28th)

UNIF Clothing S/S 2018fisheye lens + shiny nylon utility-chic...

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 20:01:31 -0700

UNIF Clothing S/S 2018

fisheye lens + shiny nylon utility-chic pants + metallic fluorescent room + tinted oval shades

Air Revive & Air Rev.Xtra boots by SWEAR London (2018)

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 20:30:27 -0700

Air Revive & Air Rev.Xtra boots by SWEAR London (2018)

CROSSNIQ+

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:00:34 -0800

CROSSNIQ+:

Wanted to share Crossniq+, a wonderful Y2K-flavored arcade puzzle game inspired by late 90’s Japanese games on the PS1 and Dreamcast, done by my friend Max Krieger!

Jack Irving AW 2018 at On|Off (2018)

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:00:37 -0800

Jack Irving AW 2018 at On|Off (2018)

nicupisari: Yaeji for Dazed Korea

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 16:00:33 -0800

nicupisari:

Yaeji for Dazed Korea

Selections from Jeremy Scott F/W 2018 (Feb. 2018)

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 22:00:42 -0800

Selections from Jeremy Scott F/W 2018 (Feb. 2018)

Cyber Trance Presents: ELT Trance by Every Little Thing (Feb 27,...

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 20:55:44 -0800

Cyber Trance Presents: ELT Trance by Every Little Thing (Feb 27, 2002)

Design by Favgear, thanks to Mike DeBisco for posting this on Facebook!