Push Button House Debuts at the 2009 AFI International Film Festival
“An Observation on Art and Architecture”
March 16, 2009
New York, NY – PS Pictures brings a work of living art, illy’s Push Button House, to the film screen. On March 29, 2009, Push Button House, a behind-the-scenes film chronicling a creation by artist/architect Adam Kalkin, will be introduced at the 2009 AFI Dallas International Film Festival. Italian coffee company, illycaffè commissioned the piece by Kalkin, who has received critical acclaim for his sustainable and intriguing designs. Originally unveiled at the 52nd Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition in June 2007, illy’s Push Button House is a fully functional and sustainable home built within a standard industrial shipping container that takes approximately 90 seconds to open.
This documentary by PS Pictures, which was an official selection at the 2008 St. Louis International Film Festival and the upcoming Atlanta Film Festival and Florida Film Festival, captures Kalkin’s desire to utilize the creative for practical purposes. The metamorphosis of a standard shipping container conveys Kalkin’s idea of sustainable housing and also represents illy’s continued commitment to the arts, innovation, and sustainability. Additionally, Kalkin’s ability to customize each Push Button House further emphasizes that this modern concept for a home is suitable in a variety of circumstances. Directed by Robert Profusek and Ryan Silbert, the film offers first-person observations along with Kalkin’s own words to shed light on an artist/architect who defies anything traditional. Push Button House serves as the backdrop to Kalkin’s visionary creation, highlighting Kalkin’s creative process and his ability to transform his creative energy into innovative works. “The process of creating a piece of art is an incredibly collaborative experience and as a brand, we felt it was important to use film as a way to preserve the story of the development of Push Button House,” noted Myra Fiori, illy’s Vice President of Public Relations.
Illy, a company that has always been at the industry’s forefront in innovation, quality and design, worked with Kalkin to bring these values to life. Beginning in the 1990s illy began collaborating with the world’s most celebrated contemporary artists to design their iconic espresso cups and machines. Since then, illy expanded its artistic collaborations to include traveling art installations and commissioned exhibitions, such as the illy Push Button House. Both pragmatic and environmentally friendly, illy Push Button House is created from recycled and recyclable materials and embodies illy’s message of sustainability and its connection to beauty through art and design. Illy believes that the pleasure of coffee consumption should extend beyond taste; every facet of the experience should be aesthetically pleasing to the senses and heighten the enjoyment of others. Profusek and Silbert beautifully capture the essence of Kalkin’s vision while also expressing illy’s mission that drinking coffee is a unique and artful experience.
About illycaffè
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, illycaffè is the world’s finest Italian coffee and a leader in innovation, technology and quality. A third generation Italian coffee company, illy is the number one European imported coffee brand in North America. Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè produces and markets a unique blend of coffee as the single brand leader in quality coffee and gives coffee connoisseurs an overall authentic Italian coffee experience. Illy is available in more than 50,000 of the finest restaurants and coffee bars and is sold in over 140 countries around the world, serving more than 6 million cups of illy coffee per day. Globally, illy employs more than 700 people.
Illy buys green coffee of the highest quality Arabica directly from the growers through partnerships based on the mutual creation of value. The Italian-based company fosters long-term collaborations with the world’s finest coffee growers – in Brazil, Central America, India and Africa – providing know-how and technology and offering above-market prices.
About PS Pictures
PS Pictures is a boutique development and production company based in New York City that specializes in
creating original content for film, television and emerging media and conceiving original cinematic content and creative direction for brands looking to embrace their ‘inner story.’ PS’ filmmakers have had films shown at the Berlinale, Museum of Modern Art, and Sundance.
