Turn on the earth!
I thought it would never happen. The French government finally plans to issue a decree which will force shops, hospitals and offices to switch off window display lights and interior lights between 1AM and 6AM. A rough 170 million euros a year will be saved. But most of all, tons of energy won't be wasted! Why not start today and wait until the 1st of July?
Tomorrow major landmarks around the world will turn of lights for Earth Hour. Many companies have announced they will "participate". Somehow attaching your name to Earth Hour seems so hypocritical. Many of these companies could do so much better on an environmental level. But hey, the goal (raising awareness of climate change & environmental issues facing the planet) trumps the means. So:
Tomorrow major landmarks around the world will turn of lights for Earth Hour. Many companies have announced they will "participate". Somehow attaching your name to Earth Hour seems so hypocritical. Many of these companies could do so much better on an environmental level. But hey, the goal (raising awareness of climate change & environmental issues facing the planet) trumps the means. So:
Geometric Porn
This weekend I met someone who was very much into adult videos/photos. He seriously suggested me to become an adult website designer, because there is a huge demand for talented designers. He showed me a few examples and I must say I saw more porn in those few minutes than in my entire life.
However, the quality of the design of the image galleries was just poor. And 99% of the photos and videos of the women exposed were just not aesthetic in any way. And yes I know that's not the purpose of porn... but still.
I don't especially have to relate 100% to the product or message my clients want to move forward, but it does make it more fun to work on. I'm not convinced that working on anything porn related would fit in with my ideas on design. But that was until I saw this app preview video: Geometric Porn.
Apple rejected the Geometric Porn iPhone app in february. Apple's App Store review policies have been very inconsistent in terms of defining porn, so where did this app cross Apple's line from art to "obscene content"? A commenter on Luciano Foglia’s video demo suggested a way to figure it out when the App would be accepted by Apple: keep submitting increasingly abstract versions until it gets accepted. Interesting!
However, the quality of the design of the image galleries was just poor. And 99% of the photos and videos of the women exposed were just not aesthetic in any way. And yes I know that's not the purpose of porn... but still.
I don't especially have to relate 100% to the product or message my clients want to move forward, but it does make it more fun to work on. I'm not convinced that working on anything porn related would fit in with my ideas on design. But that was until I saw this app preview video: Geometric Porn.
Apple rejected the Geometric Porn iPhone app in february. Apple's App Store review policies have been very inconsistent in terms of defining porn, so where did this app cross Apple's line from art to "obscene content"? A commenter on Luciano Foglia’s video demo suggested a way to figure it out when the App would be accepted by Apple: keep submitting increasingly abstract versions until it gets accepted. Interesting!
What the jelly?
One of my soft spots is definitely for Jelly. The bright colors and translucent glossy appearance really attract me. A few years ago I found out that there are serious Jell-o Mold Competitions going on where fanatics create the weirdest things out of jell-o.
Bompas & Parr work with jelly ever so often, but take jelly to a whole new level. Sam Bompas & Harry Parr design spectacular architectural settings of jelly with a strong technology background. They collaborate with curators, cultural practitioners, and scientists for their projects. And recently with Kitchen Aid on a super cool project called A Culinary Odyssey, in order to look at the food of the future through prototyping the dishes of science fiction.
The event opens fresh areas for culinary speculation and food ethics by examining the physical, biological and astronomical possibilities of cocktails and canapes. The Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) is making science fiction cocktails, Rhea Thierstein is designing sets that include the entire solar system in papier-mâché, Poietic Studio are building food levitation devices and the tropism well and Andrew Stellitano is developing the menu. On the evening, Future Laboratory will launch a report on science fiction prototyping and food preparation in the future.
The videos and photos of the event in London just look surreal. But what would this "cuisine extraordinaire" taste like?
Bompas & Parr work with jelly ever so often, but take jelly to a whole new level. Sam Bompas & Harry Parr design spectacular architectural settings of jelly with a strong technology background. They collaborate with curators, cultural practitioners, and scientists for their projects. And recently with Kitchen Aid on a super cool project called A Culinary Odyssey, in order to look at the food of the future through prototyping the dishes of science fiction.
The event opens fresh areas for culinary speculation and food ethics by examining the physical, biological and astronomical possibilities of cocktails and canapes. The Experimental Cocktail Club (ECC) is making science fiction cocktails, Rhea Thierstein is designing sets that include the entire solar system in papier-mâché, Poietic Studio are building food levitation devices and the tropism well and Andrew Stellitano is developing the menu. On the evening, Future Laboratory will launch a report on science fiction prototyping and food preparation in the future.
The videos and photos of the event in London just look surreal. But what would this "cuisine extraordinaire" taste like?
Inspector Gadget
I couldn't care less about most gadgets. Maybe that's why this tiny green thingie was well hidden in my kitchen drawer. Until I tried it. And now I'm hooked! This Vacuvin Citrus Peeler is super easy for peeling oranges or grapefruits. And it's best asset: no more yellow discoloration of your finger nails!
Pantone Stamps
These Pantone cakes by Griottes are the exact reason why I'm currently redesigning joelix.com. Well the design is ready, but the behind-the-scenes part has to be built from scratch. I need to be a bit more patient until I can show you bigger images in stead of these tiny stamp sized images like the ones below. But wow: aren't these stunning?! Emilie Guelpa's website Griottes is filled with amazing food & photography and lots of cuteness... very yummy! Oh en even a little bit of beautiful Iceland. So nice to see her take on the incredible Icelandic landscapes.
LV & MJ at Les Arts Décoratifs
Only a few weeks after visiting the Jean Paul Goude exhibition, today I was back at Les Arts Décoratifs to see the Louis Vuitton x Marc Jacobs exhibition. Not that I'm very fond of either of them, but after the live broadcasted opening last night I was quite curious to see what all the buzz was about.
What starts on the first floor as a calm presentation of the innovative trunks and "fashion carriers" created by Louis Vuitton, ends on a more eclectic note on the second floor where a selection of designs by Marc Jacobs for the French fashion house are on display.
Why visit this exhibition? To enjoy the patchwork with Marc's favorite video extracts (Rosemary's Baby, Marc Jacobs on South Park, David Bowie, Annie, ...), to watch the beautiful and poetic synchronized dancing Fan Club video (also here) and gaze at the beautiful blue mannequin heads with balloon knots.
What starts on the first floor as a calm presentation of the innovative trunks and "fashion carriers" created by Louis Vuitton, ends on a more eclectic note on the second floor where a selection of designs by Marc Jacobs for the French fashion house are on display.
Why visit this exhibition? To enjoy the patchwork with Marc's favorite video extracts (Rosemary's Baby, Marc Jacobs on South Park, David Bowie, Annie, ...), to watch the beautiful and poetic synchronized dancing Fan Club video (also here) and gaze at the beautiful blue mannequin heads with balloon knots.
Sunny Island
Sunshine really brings out the best in Londoners. I got to spend a few days in London last week and was lucky to meet lots of happy & polite people. The peak of enthusiasm was reached when I visited the Lush store on Regent Street. The sales girl and boy both (literally) jumped around to show me the latest products. I realized in Paris sales people rarely show such enthusiasm for their products. At least not in such an extroverted manner.
Another great thing in London is that admission to most musea, except for mayor exhibitions, is free. I visited Tate Modern and the V&A. Unfortunately the Serpentine gallery in Hyde Park was closed while they were preparing the new On the Edgware Road exhibition.
I wasn't aware that The Obliteration room project was actually at the Tate, part of the huge Yayoi Kusama exhibition. It was smaller than the images I've seen, but ohhh the joy of colorful dots...
The huge Anthropologie store with women's clothing, accessories and home decor was another treat. They featured beautiful fake cactus plants by a local artist (who was proudly putting them in place herself). Some of the other highlights were the fabulous vertical wall covered in plants, kept alive with rainwater and UV lights and the huge dressing rooms which felt like my own spacious walk-in-closet.
And above all the store smells great. For a moment I forgot I was actually in the middle of one the most touristic areas in London.
Somehow London overall smelled quite bad. Maybe it's all the fish&chips they serve to tourists? I was lucky to have dinner at the Island restaurant, part of the Lancaster Hotel overlooking Hyde Park, where they serve simple but tasty meals. Even their fish&chips was really good! And the Banamel cheesecake was to die for...
Another great thing in London is that admission to most musea, except for mayor exhibitions, is free. I visited Tate Modern and the V&A. Unfortunately the Serpentine gallery in Hyde Park was closed while they were preparing the new On the Edgware Road exhibition.
I wasn't aware that The Obliteration room project was actually at the Tate, part of the huge Yayoi Kusama exhibition. It was smaller than the images I've seen, but ohhh the joy of colorful dots...
The huge Anthropologie store with women's clothing, accessories and home decor was another treat. They featured beautiful fake cactus plants by a local artist (who was proudly putting them in place herself). Some of the other highlights were the fabulous vertical wall covered in plants, kept alive with rainwater and UV lights and the huge dressing rooms which felt like my own spacious walk-in-closet.
And above all the store smells great. For a moment I forgot I was actually in the middle of one the most touristic areas in London.
Somehow London overall smelled quite bad. Maybe it's all the fish&chips they serve to tourists? I was lucky to have dinner at the Island restaurant, part of the Lancaster Hotel overlooking Hyde Park, where they serve simple but tasty meals. Even their fish&chips was really good! And the Banamel cheesecake was to die for...
Faded & withered peonies
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