You may know the name Mark Mothersbaugh from any number of his artistic avenues: the front man to experimental art/punk/alt band DEVO, the award-winning composer of film and television scores like Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore” and Nikelodeon’s “Rugrats” or the visual artist with over 120 international gallery shows on his resume. However you may know his name, at the heart of any Mothersbaugh project is a distinctive and visionary worldview. Now, his consummate artistic passion has him cast as the designer of a new collection of eyewear in collaboration with Shane Baum, founder and CEO of Baumvision. Diagnosed with myopia at an early age, Mothersbaugh developed a particularly intimate relationship with eyewear, literally discovering art through his glasses. “I got my first pair of glasses for my eighth birthday, and saw birds flying, the tops of trees, even clouds for the first time in my life,” says Mothersbaugh. “It was amazing! I had never seen chimney smoke or the roof of a house, and I immediately started drawing everything I saw.” The inaugural collection consists of three styles in both sun and optical lens options that are crafted from beryllium metal with a stainless steel chrome finish. Selected for its fundamental properties, beryllium is the lightest weight metal of the alkaline earth metals group and the most versatile, strongest and resistant to tarnish and corrosion. This collection finds a delicate balance between strength and restraint—the metal has an idiosyncratic and reflective surface shine that when coupled with its strength, maintains its shape without weighing heavy on the face. The combination of sleek materials and minimalist design produces a high-octane look grounded by shapes that are endlessly wearable.
—Patrisha Holly Zabrycki
PHILOSOPHY: “Knowing how his glasses influenced his life and work in such a significant way, I wanted to create something that was reflective of Mark as a person, performer and an artist,” says collaborator Shane Baum. “To get to work with an artist like Mark felt like almost a selfish pursuit, and I owed it to him to interpret his vision and deliver a product to the world that would showcase a distinctive, smart and unexpected collection.”
MARKETING: Each pair of frames comes complete with a reflective metal casing and includes Mark Mothersbaugh artwork on the microfiber cloths.
PRICE POINT: $$$$$
CONTACT: For additional information, contact Baumvision, (866) 415-8842;
website: baumvision.com
INSIGHT
Those neon green temple tips serve a greater purpose than just as a visual reference to DEVO’s Ziggurat-shaped red hats, they also provide a soft and protective barrier between the metal endpiece and the wearer’s face—slide these glasses on for a test drive, and you’ll FEEL what I mean.
