We hope it’s not too late for last minute requests, but this year, Ryan hopes to find these underneath the Christmas tree . . .

1. A Dremel MultiPro Kit 2. MSA Safety Works Respirator 3. A vintage can of Krylon, any color really, but the more obscure, the better 4. Argyle socks, colorful hues, please!

So, we thought we’d gather evidence as to why our place is Selby worthy (and based on Refinery29′s guide “How To Get The Selby All Up In Your Place,” we think we have a fair shot).

1. Todd Selby loves artist’s residences. Ryan is an artist, and our apartment has an art studio!
2. Todd Selby loves collections. We collect 7-inch records, Kinder Egg Toys, and vintage electronics.
3. Todd Selby loves photographing cute couples. We’re a totally cute married couple!
4. Todd Selby loves stunning architectural features. Our apartment has stunning cathedral wood beam ceilings and 8-foot tall windows!
5. Todd Selby wrote a book! We have A TON of books.

So please, support us!

Take one minute. Click on this link (http://www.theselbycontest.com/entry/78018). Vote for our space.

In May, The Theatre Offensive — a local nonprofit that works to educate the community about queer culture and lifestyle through performance art — comissioned Ryan to paint a float for the 2010 Boston Pride Parade. Working under a tight deadline, he dutifully created an impressive graffitied representation of the group’s “Out in Your Neighborhood” theme. Above, I’ve included some shots of the project — from the first sketch to the float’s big day in the Pride Parade.

Lucy McRae
http://lucymcrae.blogspot.com/

Anna Tarateil
http://www.taratiel.com/

Maya Hayuk
http://www.mayahayuk.com/

Tofer Chin
http://www.toferchin.com/

Rebecca Ward
http://www.rebeccasward.com/

Craig Costello
http://krink.com/

 
(Image via Time) Prisoners are housed in separate rooms (with in-room bathrooms) that look like something out of an IKEA catalog.

(Image via Time) The kitchen laboratory is where the prisoners take their meals and learn about cooking. On the menu? Homemade orange sorbet.

(Image via Time) The gymnasium features a rock climbing wall and basketball courts.

(Image via Time) No, this isn’t woodland surrounding the camp. It’s the prison yard, designed to allow inmates to see “all four seasons.”

Norway’s Halden Fengsel Prison has been undergoing contstruction for the past 10 years. And in April 2010, it finally opened its doors, setting a high bar for the future of lock-up facilities. Spread across 75 acres, the Norwegian camp puts the US justice system and its lack of rehabilition and prisoner education to shame. In fact, because the longest prison sentence in Norway is 21 years (even for murder), incarceration closely resembles life on the outside as much as possible. And while prisoners may not have their own recording studios, kitchen laboratories, or even access to a rock wall (all features of Halden), it’s the lessons learned in these spaces that prepare them for careers and life after release.

Read: “Norway Builds the World’s Most Humane Prison”

-Kim

Now, it’s your turn!

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous in NYC. We started our day with a quick brunch at 202 — I had the hammy, eggy, cheesy sandwich, an excellent choice after the Wallpaper* Brazil launch — and a quick stop at the Chelsea Market where my friend Matt purchased the tiniest and cutest cup of coffee we’d ever seen. Next, we strolled along part of the High Line, which was gorgeous and filled with meticulously placed wildflowers and greenery but very narrow and cramped. It’s not a place where one can “lay out” and enjoy the sunshine, more of a pass through en route to somewhere more pressing.

Photographs from Make Yourself At Home.

We descended the High Line and caught an art installation by 7Eleven Gallery called Make Yourself At Home — it runs through June 6th. The gallery was transformed into a multiroom home, each room dressed by various artists using objects they’d created. It was perhaps one of the creepiest yet most resourceful art installations I’ve seen since Ryan and I went to the Meth Lab at Deitch Projects last summer. There was a square, miniature ”mattress” turned into a fountain, a little animatronic boy contructed or more accurately deconstruted from what seemed like the face of a Teddie Ruxpin doll, and an ethereal woman sleeping in a mesh/glass enclosed case, very much in the vein of Snow White.

I opened the paper today to a giant photo of a Banksy piece on Essex Street in Chinatown (right around the corner from our place). The proper authorities have been informed (Ryan and Dollar) and are going to investigate. I love living downtown.

Apparently, he’s hit Central Square, too.

Updated: If you’re looking for the Bansky piece, it’s located here, on the back wall of Kaze Shabu Shabu.

Say what you will about Banksy, the guy’s got smarts. And now, he’s taking them all the way to the big screen with his first film Exit Through The Gift Shop. Described as “the world’s first street art disaster movie,” the film portrays the bawdy existence of street artists, and by the looks of the trailer, it’s going to be a humourous ride. Exit Through The Gift Shop premieres at Sundance (I’m sure to much acclaim — celebs looove Banksy), with limited distribution this spring. Will you be seeing it? I know we will.

Peeped at Wooster Collective.

Click here to read our review of MindTheGap at PRISM.