gommi arcade x nooka at ac gears

text by michael a. traverzo


last friday, the gommi arcade x nooka "future shock" watch collaboration kicked off with the official launch party at ac gears in nyc. about 400 guests browsed and mingled throughout the ac gears shop, sipping on hennessy black (one of our great sponsors), while listening to the beats of power 105's dj challez. guests included celebrity stylist, alexander allen, who you can learn more about here, bmx rider nigel sylvester, jamie falkowski from time out new york, double up dance group and dustin canalin from udrcrwn to name a few. william yan and robin from 9th street parlor were also in attendance. special shout out to malcolm and zak, ac gears, hennessy black, smart water, as well as honey, for making this a night to remember (well for those of you who didn't have too much hennessy black).

nookas own, michael a. traverzo tended the bar.

also, be sure to check out the unique clamshell blister packaging designed specifically for the release of the gommi watch. it features some sick artwork by joe perdomo.

black and white photos courtesy of freddy mejia, color photos courtesy of matthew waldman.

learn more about hennessy black here! be sure to try hennessy black spice and hennessy black berry, as these two drinks were a huge hit at the event!

the gommi arcade watch is available here, as well as both ac gears stores!

be sure to check out the gommi arcade interactive art Installation at ac gears greenwich ave. store march 26th - april 30th!

weekend in pittsburgh

after a stellar night at the nooka X gommi arcade launch party at AC Gears on greenwich avenue in NYC, my boyfriend and i headed to pittsburgh PA with artist and friend, hiroki otsuka and his boyfriend andy. a posse of new yorkers descended on pittsburgh to attend the opening party for Playboy Redux: Contemporary Artists Interpret the Iconic Playboy Bunny, curated in part, by our dear friend Eric Shiner. Hiroki was one of the featured artists, and in fact, i will be seen on the playboy channel's coverage of the show with him! the highlight of the opening was the pajama party which filled the museum with locals and a lot of people from NYC. the show is still up, so if you are in or near pittsburgh PA, check it out. more info here. nooka was well represented on the wrists of hiroki, andy, eric, frank and myself. learn more about hiroki otsuka here.

the fun continued as eric gave us a private tour of his favorite bars. it was rare for me, but i was out bar hopping til 4am and had a great time with nyc performer maine, artist ain cocke, and eric's local posse. the drag shows were interesting enough to be classified bone-fide performance art, and even the crowd at the bars was enough to make simple people-watching a renewed pleasure [we ended up at a private club called the moose house before late cocktails at eric's loft]. hanging out with maine anders was a hoot! i really enjoyed the physical city as well – with its rusting bridges seemingly to appear out of nowhere at the end of a street to its ever changing views from the hilly landscape – it's a stunning place – part big city, part back-country, and part ghost town. there were enough museums and things to see to keep one busy for a weekend, and i highly recommend it.

and, as much as i enjoyed the warhol museum, i do not think it belongs in pittsburgh when there is not one in NYC. i am not saying that there shouldn't be a warhol museum in pitt, but 1. andy warhol made his career in NYC. even i am old enough to remember nights rubbing shoulders with him at the VIP rooms at palladium and area [i was an underaged club kid, luckily in a time when NYC allowed teens into clubs!]. NYC was his inspiration and his home from early adulthood til the day he tragically died. 2. he put pop art on the map! the "pop" in "pop art" = popular which implies it requires a LARGE audience, which quite simply is not happening for the work in it's current location. i think it's more appropriate for the warhol museum in pittsburgh be in the house he was born in or lived as a child with the permanent collection and foundation in the city he loved – NYC. just sayin....