Note: 45 Nano Cases were limited edition and are now SOLD OUT.
Audio cassette tapes are making a pop culture comeback, this time as protective designer cases for iPod nanos by Contexture Design.
Known as '45 nano,' the cassette-cases follow January 2007's release of '45,' Contexture's limited-edition iPod cases custom-made from vinyl 7-inch records.
"Reusing an old music medium to protect technology that surpassed it really resonates with us as music fans and sustainable designers," says Trevor Coghill, Contexture Design co-founder.
"Before iTunes' playlists, people made mix tapes," says founding partner Nathan Lee of the similarities between cassettes and digital music players. "And like iPods and nanos, tapes were also a really portable music technology."
One side of the cassette-cases has been hollowed out to fit first- and second-generation iPod nanos, shielded by a clear plastic window that includes openings for access to the music player's controls, headphone jack and charging dock.
The cases' flipside has been retained and looks like a 'vintage' cassette. For added cushioning, the cassette-cases include foam padding and come enclosed in their original, clear plastic cases.
According to Contexture's philosophy of using recycled and repurposed materials, '45nano' has been designed and constructed sustainably using reclaimed tapes and foam padding.
'45' and '45 nano' are available online for the sticker price of $45. As a further incentive, Contexture still offers a $5 rebate to online buyers who participate in the street level poster campaign. To qualify for the rebate, participants hang concert style posters around their neighbourhood.
To view 45 nano cases visit www.contexture.ca/45nano. To download print quality images visit www.contexture.ca/media. See below for product and company backgrounders.
Nathan Lee
Contexture Design
604-729-2444
Contexture is an award winning Vancouver-based multidisciplinary design firm comprised of workshop (product design and fabrication), studio (graphic art and design) and fieldwork (landscape design and illustration) departments.
The firm's two designers, Nathan Lee and Trevor Coghill, are graduates of UBC's Landscape Architecture program. Their work emphasizes simple, elegant and sustainable design, and is often inspired by reclaimed materials with historical, cultural or environmental significance.
Contexture products include "Bentwood," a line of wooden accessories featuring the "Coffee Cuff," made from reclaimed architectural veneers, "45" iPod cases made from recycled vinyl records and cassette tapes, and a line of wildlife-themed hanging mobiles including "As the Crow Files" and "Redfish", both made from found maps.
Contexture has been featured in New York Times Style Magazine and Globe and Mail, and has appeared on CBC television and radio. They have participated in design-related events such as the West Xprssd exhibit of emerging Western Canadian designers, and were awarded Best in Category in Industrial Design at the 2008 Design Exchange Awards for their mobile, "As the Crow Flies". Their work has been shown at the Museum of Vancouver and in a an exhibit called CUT/COPY, part of the Toronto International Design Festival hosted by the Institute for Contemporary Culture at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
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