Liquid Treat

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Blue Bottle Cafe has become famous for its art-inspired treats, including a colorblocked Mondrian cake, a fudge pop based on an Ellsworth Kelly sculpture and cakes frosted to resemble those painted by Wayne Thiebaud. Pastry chef Caitlin Freeman reveals her recipes (and step-by-step assembly instructions) in Modern Art Desserts, new from Ten Speed Press. And with SFMOMA soon to close for expansion, the Blue Bottle bakers are heading east later this month for a pop-up shop at New York's Museum of Modern Art. "We're starting with Mondrian cakes and Thiebaud cakes, and there's a great Andy Warhol series in their cafe," says Freeman, "so we'll modify our Warhol Jell-o to work with their pieces."

Just when we thought our sturdy Maglite represented the apex of flashlight evolution comes the Grip LED Torchlight from PRAXIS. Designed by London-based Alexander Taylor, who has developed furniture and lighting for the likes of Established & Sons and Alexander McQueen, the flashlight is encased in hand-friendly silicone rubber -- a nod to the familiar form of the BMW bicycle grip. At $30 from neo-utility, it's a practical yet bright idea for a Mother's Day gift. The hardest part is choosing among the five available colors.

Film and photography, past and present, reality and movie magic collide in FILMography, an ongoing art project by Christopher Moloney. The fun-to-browse Tumblr matches scenes from films (and the odd TV show) with their real-life, present-day locations. Searchable by movie, location, actor or year, the site uses still-frame snapshots to check in with the spaces and places familiar from classics such as Rebel Without a Cause and Rosemary's Baby as well as recent releases, including The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Fancy one of the images? Moloney makes each one available in an edition of ten signed and numbered prints.

Gary Baseman's first major museum exhibition, on view through August 18 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, is a fun house full of paintings, photographs, toys, sketchbooks, and videos. More than 300 artworks and objects are installed in thematic "rooms" of a gallery designed to evoke Baseman's childhood home, complete with family photos, home movies, and vintage furnishings. The creative exuberance of "Gary Baseman: The Door Is Always Open" reflects his boundary-dissolving approach. Says Baseman, "I see myself as an artist who likes to do everything -- all the time."

Acclaimed illustrator Christoph Niemann (Abstract City, I LEGO N.Y.) gets interactive with Petting Zoo, a new app (for iPhones, iPads and now Android devices) that puts a high-tech twist on hand-drawn animation. Users of all ages can swipe and tap their way through the interactive picture book of 21 unconventional animals, from breakdancing dogs to elastic-limbed rabbits. Says Niemann of each creature in his animated menagerie, "You can slowly approach it, touch it, and it will do something unpredictable, but most likely something fun and adorable."

Curious about typographical trends? Check out Typograph, an interactive database cataloging 30 years of typography. The task of tracking the popularity of typefaces began as a hobby for Niko Skourtis, who later turned it into his undergraduate graphic design thesis at California College of the Arts and ultimately, a public website that makes the archive available to everyone. An assortment of stunning charts, graphs and timelines presents each typeface that appears in the Type Directors Club annuals and its relative frequency.