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Heavy metal quilts by Ben Venom

David Pescovitz at 9:30 am Wed, Jul 6, 2011

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Ben Venom makes large, luxurious quilts out of heavy metal t-shirts. Seen above is "Don't Wake Me Lucifer" (83" x 95", 2010). His latest piece will be hanging at the BAN6 exhibition at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts opening this Friday, July 8. For more of Venom's devilishly cool textiles, check out Stacey Ransom's Ransom Notes post about his work. "Mr. Ben Venom at Ban6" (Ransom Notes)

 
  • Boo Davis's Heavy Metal quilts

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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  • Anonymous

    Awesome Work Ben! Love it!

  • StAlfongzo

    A Heavy Metal quilt? wow quilts and quilting are so not METAL! I can picture the guy now wearing all leather and studs and spikes Quilting Ahahahaha!

    • BookGuy

      Metal is a state of mind, not a specific medium.

    • jimh

      Yup, with bookguy- Metal is transcendent! Also, I think the irony here is not lost on the artist or the audience- it makes the work even more hawsome.

      • StAlfongzo

        No a state of mind is just that… A state of mind it can be anything it has nothing to do with metal just like quilting. It’s just.. well quilting. Just because the guy ruined a bunch of t-shirts doesn’t make it metal, art maybe but not metal. Now the vegan chef death metal cooking video that has been making the rounds that I would call metal. Don’t get me wrong im not dissing the work its ok. But to put it simply Hot Topic is not Punk Rock..

        • jimh

          If you believe that Ben Venom is to Metal as Hot Topic is to Punk, I think that you are completely mistaken, and misguided in your comparison. The reason Hot Topic is not punk rock is that they’re a corporate mall chain store imitating the genre. Ben is the real deal, imo. If you don’t think quilting can be Metal, well, I’ll also have to disagree with you there!

    • Anonymous

      I will have you know I am a quilter who regularly plays Scorps, G&R, Metallica, and even some Preist on occasion while sewing. Not all quilters are grandmothers who sit around whittling away at the last years of their lives making quilts. Quilts are an art that is enjoyed by all walks of life, even tatooed rockers.

  • David Pescovitz

    If you follow the link, you can see him working in his studio.

  • shinchan

    Dear BoingBoing,

    In the future, please refrain from posting articles about awesome shit that I cannot afford to buy.

    xoxoxo,
    shinchan

    • boo

      Ok neither of us can afford it, but it definitely is “Awesome”!

  • jimh

    I saw this in person six weeks or so ago at Artpad SF- it’s amazing. The Tshirts, the spiderweb quilting pattern, everything. It metal-screams DOMESTIC BADASS!

  • Anonymous

    Bonus points for KROKUS. I can live without Sepultura’s Roots, though. That album is no good.

  • querent

    fucking metal

    \m/O_O\m/

  • bbonyx

    Blackie!!!!

    Ronnie!!!

  • Anonymous

    Quilting is for everyone! =) I think these are really cool. It’s nice to see different quilts besides the cliche country looking stuff.

  • Anonymous

    I assumed from the title that these were quilts made from sheets of lead, iron, nickle, etc. Now that would be cool and comfy!

  • DoctressJulia

    Yeah, quilting is so fucking METAL!!!! I want one…

  • Anonymous

    I hope they didnt cut up any really really rare tshirts for this ( see http://tshirtslayer.com and other sites ). Some of the artwork is simply irreplaceable :(

  • blueelm

    This is awesome. Oh how I wish I could afford one.

    *covets*

  • Jaan

    Testament; yes! King Diamond; Yes! Mercyful Fate; Hell Yes!!! Manowar….ugh >facepalm<