What do you create and how did you get into this field of work? 

I primarily create clothing and accesory pieces but that usually tends to lead me into photography, film, packaging, art and a whole bunch of other things that can benefit the promotion of the brand. At first it was just making clothes, now its building a business, maintaining a name, image, purpose and exploring creativity. Designing started for me in 2003 when I was a junior at The High School of Art & Design. That school was filled with talented artist and just creative people. I believe it helped push everyone in the school to find their own personal way to display their creativity, when just being able to draw no longer felt like a talent since everyone could draw. So I started drawing or painting on clothes literally, buying acrlic paint from Pearl Paint on Canal and Broadway to turn my regular pieces of clothing irregular pieces from my point of view. Painting evolved into sewing, I built my first website from scratch with the help of youtube and google, and the foundation was built. A decade later (6 months ago) Scoge was officially launched. 

How did you come into contact with JnrlStr? 

I was going to meet up with a friend a few blocks away from Clinton St. but he was running late, so I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood and check out all the spots that I was unfamiliar with. I walked past JnrlStr which caught my attention a couple of times because of the bright color scheme but didn't bother walking in because it was so clean and I spotted a few people working in the back, I thought it was an office and didn't want to disturb them. Then when I walked past the last time I actually to the time to look at the pieces and realized some had prices listed next to them, so I just walked in and asked questions. Everyone inside was very cool as well as each piece displayed. I met Doug and Sloan who loved my red EastSide Story jacket that I had on which matched the color scheme of the store. Once I told them I was the designer and would love to include the piece to the store that was it.

What external factors inspire or influence you? 

My inspiration comes from anything and everything. I can never pin point what stirs up my creativity. I like to be open minded and try new things as much as I can. One day it could be a sunset, the next something someone says, the next a bright color that I havent seen anyone wear in a while, or just a wild piece of fabric. Whatever it is though, I want to make sure that I can transform it into a piece of clothing that people wouldn't mind taking a chance with. 

How has your style of design changed or stayed the same over the years?

The design and style is always changing. I love my old designs, but I love creating new things even more. At first I was trying to figure out how things would work if my brand always seemed to change but then I realized that i'm not the only person in this world who loves to try new things. I want people to find their "new thing" every now and then with my brand. I want Scoge to be limitless when it comes to exploring creativity.

What do you want people to take away from your work?

If anything, I want people to be themselves and explore creativty. I want people to feel confident, sexy, humurous or whatever, as long as its a good feeling that inspires them to find the creative aspect of everything in life. 

What does the future hold?

Lets see,.....The near future will include an art show, a dancers expression session, loads and loads of promotion to raise the awareness of the brand, and Project Tradeshow in 2013. As for the a little further down the road i'd say an Scoge flagship store that will include everything, and a little international recognition......maybe more than a little :) .

Chad Silver is a brooklyn based artist, about to debut his "LOVE IS LAME" show at JSx55.

At JSx55, we were interested in Chad Silver's work because of his cynical interpretations of the 21st century. As a creator, he has pushed the limits of what is considered acceptable and brings us humor and thoughtful critiques of life events. His "loveislame" concept brings one of the biggest commercial holidays: Valentine's Day and mashes it up with witty unexpected comments.

"I mainly surf the web and copy things I like - changing them slightly."

CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR PROCESS, WHAT LEAD YOU TO CREATE THIS WORK?

The “Shit Bitch Bear” was originally created in the 90s. It was a deconstructionist Valentine. My education at that time really championed a deconstructionist view; the idea that our whole culture was more or less arbitrary and nothing was “true” or “authentic.” I prescribed to that thinking and made things that pushed back against sentimentality and earnestness.

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU THAT INFLUENCES YOUR WORK?

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR WORK?

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES FOR YOU WHEN YOU CREATE PERSONAL WORK VS. COMMISSIONED WORK?

It's more difficult to make work for yourself. I need a purpose to invest time, money and ideas into something. If you unpack it enough every artist is making work for somebody and hoping for a real transaction of some kind. Even the most naive, street artist is trying to build a brand.

Chad Silver's "LOVE IS LAME" show will be on view at JSx55 Gallery through February 16, 2012

Jon Chonko is a man who likes sandwiches and likes scanning them. He lives and works in New York City.

We had the pleasure of meeting Jon in 2006, and have followed his work for some time. As he prepared his Scanwiches installation at JS55 Gallery, we asked him a few questions about his work and what motivates him.

"The exciting hidden qualities of the everyday and mundane are what I am fascinated by."

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU THAT INFLUENCES YOUR WORK?

I love seeing contrast. Either putting things together that feel out of place and seeing what happens or seeing usual things in an unexpected way. The exciting hidden qualities of the everyday and mundane are what I am fascinated by. I love seeing those things made important or being reminded how wonderful and awe-inspiring our world is. I watch a lot of science documentaries.

HOW DOES YOUR WORK CONNECT DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN EXPERIENCE?

With Scanwiches I wanted to celebrate the remarkable qualities of one of my favorite foods, sandwiches. They're these beautiful and personal objects that are easily forgotten or ignored. They have these architectural qualities, they're constructed, not just made, that's cool to me and I wanted to expose they're intricacies. 

I also love that they hold so many stories. Everybody eats food, and a lot of people eat sandwiches and for every sandwich there's some story. Sandwiches like the hamburger tell us about the shaping of a nation. Individual sandwiches can jog a long-forgotten childhood memory like the smell of 3rd grade or that time we puked in the cafeteria in kindergarten. Deeply personal and important stories hide between those layers of bread.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR PROCESS, WHAT LEAD YOU TO CREATE THIS WORK?

The idea came about during lunch a few years ago. The word "Scanwich" popped up in conversation and I thought I could make that. That could be a thing. I scanned my lunch the next day. The result was stunning and I wanted to keep going, seeing what other sandwiches looked like on a scanner.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES FOR YOU WHEN YOU CREATE PERSONAL WORK VS. COMMISSIONED WORK?

With personal work I make the rules so when I break them I get angry at myself.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR WORK?

I want people to be a little surprised, a little more curious and excited about their food, and a little hungrier than they were a few seconds before.

Jon Chonko's Scanwiches will be on view at JS55 Gallery through December 18, 2011 (extended!).

Martín Bravo, is a Chilean-born designer, artist and pseudo-programmer who is currently attending NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

We had the pleasure of meeting Martín and experiencing his interactive Skittish Tree installation at ITP’s 2011 Spring Show. While we worked to create the new application of Skittish Tree for JS55 Gallery, we asked him some questions about his work, influence and process.

"Magic occurs when technology is invisible."

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THE WORLD AROUND YOU THAT INFLUENCES YOU WORK?

Everything. Especially those magic situations where what is happening seems completely impossible, so you assume it’s rendered, but then it’s actually happening for real. That’s the case with magnetic powder being affected by a magnet, for example.

HOW DOES YOUR WORK CONNECT DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN EXPERIENCE?

I try to use technology in such a way that the user doesn’t immediately recognize the mechanisms of how a certain piece is working. Magic occurs when technology is invisible.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR PROCESS, WHAT LEAD YOU TO CREATE THIS WORK?

Skittish Tree is the product of a personal obsession with the recursive functions in programming, which are parallel to recursion in nature. The way leaves, flowers, shells –or trees– are built is almost mechanical, but not.

I’ve always been fascinated by the capacity of nature of creating groups of millions of similar –but not equal– units that work together generating a system that is bigger than the parts. And the key difference with mechanical machines is that each unit is different to the others, yet similar in essence. My attempt was to find the right amount of variation for creating something that doesn’t feel mechanical.

I was also interested in the results of applying alien behaviors to entities that are not supposed to have them. In this case, the behavior of a skittish animal like a rabbit, for example, now seen in a tree. I like the disconcerted reactions that this awkward relationship generates.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES FOR YOU WHEN YOU CREATE PERSONAL WORK VS. COMMISSIONED WORK?

I personally enjoy working for clients as much as working in my personal projects, for different reasons. I find the challenge of “reading” people and their needs fascinating. In this context, more than to serve my own interests, I focus on understanding the needs of the client and match them with the needs of the final users of the designs I’m creating. Also, the opportunity of creating beautiful pieces for massive audiences is very appealing to me.

When it comes to working on personal projects, to me it’s more about playing and having fun with things I’m curious about. Try different ideas and see what happens. As there is no context or requirements the cost of failing is very low, so you can take more risks, and that’s a luxury.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR WORK?

I see a piece as a success if the person interacting with it leaves with an enjoyable memory, having experienced magic.