Jason Phillips Design

The Deception of William Murphy

I proudly introduce a year-long project by NYC fine artist Jeremy Penn, titled ‘The Deception of William Murphy’. Intrigued? So am I. Read about the inspiration below and be sure to follow Jeremy’s work on his blog and facebook.

The Deception of William Murphy
Revealed at The Artist Project NY

In July of 2010, I received a large stack of original prison mug shots dated between 1897 and 1921. Contained in that stack was a mug shot of a young man named William Murphy. I initially found myself seduced by his gaze and later became entranced with the mystery of his life. As an artist, I am telling William’s story through my exploration of process.

With the help of the Federal Archives in San Bruno, CA, we were able to compile enough data to learn that this image is 1 of only 2 possible William Murphy’s.
One William Murphy died in a knife fight on a train. The other William Murphy sacrificed his own life in war to save the life of others.

Three questions you must ask yourself:

Which William Murphy do you believe this is?
What rational did you use to come up with answer above?
Was William Murphy predestined to be in harms way according to an ancient Japanese principle?

William Murphy Facts:

William Murphy was born in 1893 and was raised by his mother Delia in San Francisco.
At 21, William Murphy was arrested on June 4, 1914 in San Francisco for Pimping.
William Murphy’s booking number was 23826.

William Murphy’s Eyes

William Murphy had light grey eyes and a rare iris to eyeball relationship. The Japanese have a term for this called Sanpaku.

Sanpaku, meaning “three whites” in Japanese (“san”=three, “paku”=white) describes the relation of the iris to the eyeball when a person is looking straight ahead where one can see “three white” parts on the sides and below the iris.

The Japanese theory states that someone with Sanpaku eyes is imbalanced and predestined to danger.

A list of other people with Sanpaku eyes:

Abraham Lincoln (Assassinated at age 56)
John F. Kennedy (Assassinated at age 46)
Robert F. Kennedy (Assassinated at age 43)
John Lennon (Killed at age 40)
Marilyn Monroe (Died at age 36)
Heath Ledger (Died at age 28)
Mar 22nd at 2:36pm
Artist

jeremy penn
>Al Dente Collection featured in Concept Projects Magazine

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Glad to be published in Turkey’s premiere design magazine, Konsept Projeler (translates to Concept Projects). Special thanks to Oya Esenli, editor of the publication, for making it happen. Al Dente is the collection featured, where chromed metal rods are spot welded together in a conplex arrangement. Almost with the stiffness of uncooked pasta, hence the name. I wish I could tell you what they said, and I hope they weren’t too harsh You can find out more about the magazine here.
Feb 7th at 10:41pm
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>Gold Log Stool Featured on Vogue.com!

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Very excited, as usual, about new press. This time, Vogue.com was kind enough to think to us when picking their top 10 products. The Gold Log Stools are designed by Jason Phillips Design, manufactured by Phillips Collection, and can be purchased at places like The Future Perfect in New York City (and online, click here). Thank you Vogue! Read the article here.
Jan 19th at 5:19pm
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>2011 Catalog | Jason Phillips Design

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Well, here it is!

The 2011 Catalog is complete and sent off to the printer. I wanted you all to be able to see it, so I made a digital version of it.

Click on the Blurb widget on my blog (top left corner) or click here
Dec 6th at 6:34pm
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>Phillips Collection "Obsession"

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Have you been to The Peephole? If not, I implore you to do so! The official blog of the amazing Fashion Snoops site (click here), they recently were too kind to post/profess their love for Phillips Collection. A snippet:

“I become obsessed when good people meet great design and this is exactly the case at Phillips Collection. Jason Phillips, son of owners Mark and Julie, has a phenomenal brain for merging art with functional home decor and while “snooping” around (since that’s what we do best) I found his Blog I won’t give away the secrets of what is to come just yet (as everyone loooves to make a knock off these days) but here is a look at their newest designs for Fall 2010….”

Take some time to read the full article (here) and to learn more about Fashion Snoops and The Peephole in general
Nov 12th at 6:18pm
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>Peace, Love, and Happiness

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I’ve been accused of doodling (by my teachers fifteen years ago!) but it is often where I start my design process. Peace, Love, and Happiness is a series of floor-standing sculptures that will be going into production end of this year. Look for a bit of T.L.C. early 2011
Nov 4th at 8:47pm
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>New Designs – Fall 2010

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Holey Console Table is a study on matte vs glossy finishes. The form resembles a liquid metal, and the center compartment allows for safekeeping of your most precious items.

Rock’n Chair is a pure white form, amorphic and dynamic, balanced and whimsical. More details to follow.

Sweep Low Table takes generous curves and a sleek profile to make a sophisticated statement indoors and out. It’s sister piece, the Swept Side Table (below), is finished in pure white and looks great repeated or standalone next to a lush sectional.
Oct 27th at 2:31pm
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>Jason Phillips Wins Pinnacle Award!

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Congratulations to our own Jason Phillips for winning a Pinnacle Award. The Burled Metallic Bowls are the top accessory of 2010! Jason is one of the 16 winners honored with Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards by the American Society of Furniture Designers – 15 in product categories and one in the new Green Leaf Award category. This was the 15th year ASFD has presented the awards. Jason was honored in the Accessories category with his burled bowl design. The burled bowl comes in silver leaf, gold leaf and wood finishes, as will as two shapes.
Oct 27th at 1:46pm
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>Whirl Shelving Unit donated to The University of Michigan

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Very exciting for me to announce that my Whirl Shelving Unit is permanently on display at my alma mater, The University of Michigan. If you find yourself in Ann Arbor, do stop in to the School of Art & Design. The piece was donated this year after it was part of an exhibition at the Slusser Gallery. It is located in the lounge, greeting all incoming freshmen as they enter the gallery to get their computers

On a side note, my experience at the U of M was extraordinary. From their concentrated curriculum to their digital media centers, it was a playground for young designers. If you are looking for an amazing college with everything you need to graduate with high credentials, look no further. More information on the university can be found here.
Oct 20th at 1:14pm
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>Jason Phillips Featured in Gulf Interiors Magazine of the UAE!

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Well, they got the headline right, but I’m not sure it’s me that deserves the recognition. For those curious, the article can be found in the latest issue of Gulf Interiors Magazine. You can read it directly from their website at www.gulfinteriors.com. Text reads:

People want a sense of familiarity in what they select, but it’s very interesting because the companies that excel in that are really stepping towards contemporary, so my hope will be that the market is trending toward contemporary. But it’s very interesting to see what companies are doing – they are going outside of the box and everybody is realizing its time to change, time to reach more people. There is something for everyone these days: design within reach. You can achieve looks that in the past were only achievable if you had a lot of money. So I really like where things are going; wall colors are playing a huge role in the way a room looks these days. It’s not just neutrals with heirloom pieces, it’s bold colors on the walls with all your accessories in white – people are doing fun things and they’re experimenting – it’s a fun time in design.

I think we are all looking for a new identity. But I think the world is so flat and so much smaller than it once was that overarching trends will no longer exist. There’s never going to be another movement like Bauhaus or French Colonial – there is too much appeal and people are allowed to like ‘only black’ and other people are allowed to like ‘only luxury’ or ‘only traditional’, so it’s an exciting time.

America is still trying to figure out its identity because we’re only 300 years old so compared to Europe where Spain, for example, has its own really detailed and catalogued history and evolution of style we are sort of a hybrid, a melting pot, we’re very trend-oriented. Sensibilities overseas are a bit more time-tested whereas we jump at whatever is the new fad. The idea in the US is to be open to change, to be open to evolution, it’s an industry-rather than consumer-driven market in the US.”

The Jason Phillips design philosophy

Jason sums up his approach as minimalist. “For me a successful design is where I can strip away a lot of the embellishments and the things that lavishly dress it up. There is something very classy about just using a few pieces.”

His inspiration is to create the kind of piece you would see in the Museum of Modern Art, and he believes in doing art for art’s sake. “We have an extruded aluminum table designed by a famous artist and all it says is: ‘the end table to end all end tables’ and to me that is a cultural pop-art statement that is art to me and anyone that’s seen it has smiled.”

His ultimate luxury would be to own a loft in Manhattan overlooking Central Park with 15-foot ceilings with only one piece of art on the wall: “A very special piece that I connect with and maybe a water feature bringing in the senses. It’s not about cluttering a room, in my own mind I think a room should make you feel good and I like cleaner environments with less distractions so I can really relax.”

Although, I don’t think Jason does much relaxing, since his first piece – the Red Wedge coffee table – became commercially available some three years ago he has done about fifty pieces for the current collection and is in talks to develop a rug and lighting line.

“For me right now, I’m still young I need to think out the career I want, I’m still very much involved in the family business this is a perfect outlet for my designs but I would also like to get in to other companies.” Jason’s collection has evolved in Phillips Collection, but his new design renderings have been getting global attention on blogs and magazines and he is definitely out to establish himself through the company he founded in 2008: Jason Phillips Design. Jason says that he spent a lot of time absorbing and it took him a while to discover his style. He notes that developing his technical proficiency on the computer added real impetus to his work. “I was a decent hand renderer but I am colorblind so I have certain limitations, but once I became a whizz on the computer I got my hands to do what my brain couldn’t on paper – it’s a whole new world.”

Going forward Jason is keen to welcome opportunities, but is conscious of being selective and making decisions that make sense when it comes to longevity in his career. “I don’t want to be a rock star with my ten seconds of fame, I want to have some meaning behind what I do.”

And before he makes it all sound too serious, Jason notes that he’s not trying to make a huge statement on society. It is about product not about changing the world, but Jason wants to communicate a story and get people to understand his aesthetic and appreciate it. “There is nothing more rewarding and fulfilling to a designer than to have people appreciate what you do, and I got a taste of that and now I am hungry for more.
Oct 5th at 8:58pm
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