gallimaufry for the future

2006-12-07T12:32:00.000Z

FINALLY- PAY BY PHONE PARKING

Westminster Council have launched a 6-month trial of a new pay by phone parking facility in large areas of the West End. Covent Garden and Soho will see all parking meters removed and replaced by 'Pay by Phone Only' bays, and Pay & Display areas will include pay by phone options.

A great idea- UK should have more options to use mobiles as payment methods, it makes life so much easier. Let's hope this trial is successful and the scheme spreads throughout London

read more here

2006-12-05T13:34:00.000Z

BEAUTY SURPRISE

We've seen it with clothes, handbags and shoes, now Yellow Box Beauty brings the element of surprise to your makeup too.

Focusing on 'finding brands that are either new to the spotlight or may be on the verge of being the next "it" thing', the company offer a makeup or beauty product from a hot new brand delivered to your door once a month. Each month a different brand is spotlighted on the website, and alongside the product you receive are different offers such as gifts with a purchase or discounts on orders.

A great way of trying some of the many new cosmetic brands out there, and getting you to branch out from your normal safe choices- as the site says 'You never know what will show up at your door and that is part of the fun.'

2006-11-22T10:14:00.000Z

WINE CELLAR SORBETS

Cleverly combining food and wine for wine lovers throughout the country, Wine Cellar Sorbets produces refreshing sorbets made from vintage wines.
Choose your preferred vintage from a constantly changing wine list that includes a selection of Californian and New York red, white and rosé wines. Available in New York and New Jersey gourmet stores, fine restaurants and caterers, it's a 'cool' new way to enjoy your favourite tipple, and such a brilliantly simple idea i'm amazed it's only just reached the market.

Wine Cellar Sorbets

2006-11-15T16:29:00.000Z

PERSONALIZE YOUR PORSCHE

For the 'extra personal touch', Porsche are taking customization one step further and offering the option to replace the product type at the back of any 911 with your choice of text.

The site says "Let your creativity run wild and give your Porsche its own identity and a unique name or personal message". This is definitely our favourite- at least they recognise who their customers are!!

name your Porsche

UPDATE- sorry, my mistake- this is not being offered by Porsche itself but by an external customisation company

2006-11-15T00:49:00.000Z

THE FUTURE OF ADVERTISING??

In Stores Now is a great site that makes fun of how far brands are infiltrating our lives by placing advertising in the most controversial settings. Among those displayed are ideas for 'branding' strippers, animals and places/items of worship. Funny images, but how long until we see a company push the boundaries of taste and utilise such ideas? Many have come close through 'sponsorship' and 'charity' deals enabling a huge amount of product promotion and placement around these areas, but i've yet to see a logo on a bible. Is this the future of advertising? And will brands soon be buying our skins, if not our souls?

In Stores Now
via adverlab

2006-10-17T11:35:00.000+01:00

ZOO

Zoo art fair opened it's doors for the third year running in the great setting of London Zoo on friday (or thursday for some of us lucky few) to a huge surge of people eager to snap up new emerging artists' work, and invest in the Next Big Thing.
Of the talent on display here is my pick of the new names that I think are worth watching for the future-

TITUS KAPHAR-

'White Underneath' are a collection of vintage portrait photographs from the late 1800s which the artist has painted over to replace the white face of the original sitter with a black one of a member of his family. He explains it as "experimenting with transgressive interventions on paintings as a means of undermining hierarchical roles of the past and imposing them on contemporary narratives".

Titus has just graduated from Yale and been awarded the prestigious artist-in-residency programme from the Studio Museum, Harlem.

ROBERT MCNALLY-

A recent graduate of Camberwell College of Art, 'So How was It?' is one of Robert's delicate pencil works combining soft atmosphere with quirky humour. All four of his pieces have already sold, but look out for more offerings in his first solo show next year

RAFFAEL WALDNER-

'Fiat Coupe 2.0 Turbo' is just one of Raffael's amazing photographs of crashed luxury cars. His pictures are observations of everyday objects and locations that have lost their original function- in this case taken live at the crash scene (the police call to notify him whenever a sports car crashes), and the resulting images seem hyper-real. Due to have his first solo gallery show in Berlin in November

RENATO GARZA-

'Mental Passages' is an installation of 54 typographical images, each one representative of the artist's emotion at the time of conception. The artist is a recent graduate from his native Mexico and has already been picked up by the MOMA Mexico, plus there are plans to produce the images as a book. An ironic title considering the extortionate price tag on this piece- £5000!

2006-10-10T20:00:00.000+01:00

MORE MANNERS FOR MEN

There's a great article in the inaugural issue of commons&sense man magazine on a new UK finishing academy for men offering a three-day training course on 'the art of being a gentleman'.

Following the success of the ladies school, there have apparently been many male applicants keen to learn the art of good table manners, hosting skills, deportment, housecraft and the many other lectures offered, the aim of which is to "acquire mastery of how best to conduct yourself in a sophisticated fashion, whether in a business of leisure environment".

Etiquette is most definitely on the rise so watch out- bowing and curtsying might become the new 'have a nice day'!

The Finishing Academy

2006-09-29T15:00:00.000+01:00

CHICKEN IN A CONE??

I love the new concept from food stylist and artist Nir Adar; CrispyCones, which aims to serve an array of classic dishes including meatballs, ceasar salad and barbeque chicken... in an edible cone. Turning the notion of take-away food on its head, Adar fills the baked dough cones with a wide variety of sweet or savoury fillings crossing an array of cuisines, to satisfy any craving you may have. As he explains it-

"The Crispy Cone is changing the face of portable food to meet the needs of the healthy, selective and environmentally conscious consumer. Not only is the shape of the cone different than anything else out there, it’s also different in concept: Nutritious. Responsible. Delicious. Prepared with care and thought. Environmentally smart, because it leaves no waste, and uses no utensils. Made with nutritious ingredients and delivered in a smart drip-free cone that complements the delicious flavors of the food, the Crispy Cone lets you enjoy your favorite foods in a modern and environmentally-smart new way."

Not sure that the menu constitutes healthy eating, but CrispyCones say they aim to introduce new flavors every week, apparently tailored to fit the demographics of each new location. Given the huge availability of traditional carbohydrate based fast-foods and the current interest in curing America's obesity pandemic it will be interesting to see whether this idea takes off. Currently only available in Santa Anita’s Westfield Arcadia Shopping Mall, California, CrispyCones plans to open throughout the US and is currently looking for investors and franchisees.
CrispyCones

2006-09-25T18:12:00.000+01:00

PAMPERED POOCHES!

For those people who like walking their dogs, but not walking the dirt back into their homes this looks like the perfect solution- Pet Mobile. A mobile dog washer who will arrive at a given destination and give your dog a thorough clean, whilst offering a wide array of toys and treats for you to purchase for your beloved pooch. A clever little enterprise that seems to spend most of its time around the leafy periphery of Hampstead Heath where business must be booming!

2006-09-20T12:27:00.001+01:00

MEDICINEMA

Time Out London today has a great article about London's only dedicated cinema-within-a-hospital at St Thomas's in Westminster. Set up five years ago, the idea is to provide a bit of escapism for patients, aiming to help their physical and emotional wellbeing and create some sense of normality to help relationships with their families too. Mark, the cinema manager told Time Out

"You have fathers who are never going to see their son play football again or do that male bonding activity. So to be able to, say, come and see a film with your son at the weekend, it's a way of normalising the situation"

MediCinema says it is dedicated to bringing ‘big screen therapy’ to as many patients in as many hospitals as possible, as it believes strongly in the therapeutic value of such entertainment.

MediCinema

2006-09-19T23:40:00.000+01:00

WELCOME TO WUNDERVILLE

As part of the London Design Festival 2006 those creative thinkers at Beyond the Valley (the showcase store set up by St Martins graduates last year) have created Wunderville, described as 'a twisted Victorian sideshow of oddities for your viewing pleasure' shown across four locations around Carnaby Street. Alongside some bizarre creations such as Freak Peepshow, Cakes of the Damned, Cabinets of Curious Creatures, and Dusty Wolf's Answers from the Beyond were a range of appropriately fitting products and art installations including chandelier shaped wall-mounted mirrors, victorian recipe soaps, and my personal favourite- magical hybrid animal prints. A great way of creating a buzz around the store whilst promoting a range of design talents, we thoroughly enjoyed our outing and suggest anyone who is in the area to check it out

Beyond the Valley

2006-09-18T18:28:00.000+01:00

I knew we were heading the same way as NYC and making London non-smoking but I didn't realise it was being done by area! SmokefreeIslington is a website celebrating Islington businesses who have decided to enforce the smoking ban already, alongside news and information on quitting.

"Islington Primary Care Trust strongly supports the view that a smokefree borough would benefit the health of all Islington residents. The Smokefree Team aims to make Islington the first smokefree borough in London."
It seems like lots of local business are on board with this scheme so they may well achieve their goal, and good luck to them- I hope all other London boroughs start their own schemes soon.

SmokefreeIslington

2006-09-18T11:35:00.001+01:00

LONDON OPEN HOUSE

Once again London threw open it's doors for all to see this weekend, and I was first in line for a good nose around! Here were some of my personal favourites-

The Central School of Speech and Drama in Swiss Cottage- an interesting use of angles and light with 5 floors of transparent, fritted and translucent glass wrapping around the building and folds of concrete creating interesting geometric movement
the front facade at night
the central stairwell

Philip Hughes Studio in Camden- an open, light space enhanced by clever use of mirroring which extends to the outside of the building. The downstairs is dominated by a freestanding steam room with continuous corian surfaces, creating a soft shape space-age pod in an otherwise linear surrounding
looking down onto the mirrored walls
the pod!

Michaelis House in Ladbroke Grove- built down instead of up this family house manages to be light and airy despite being boxed in by two town houses. An inventive and ecological use of the space acailable,
the entrance

Paradise Park in Holloway- the most impressive visit all weekend, this children's centre has a hydroponic garden as its exterior walls, an efficient energy kitchen which is used as a social enterprise for locals to run a fairtrade cafe, and green roofs to help provide habitats for displaced species. The architects explanation for the building also showed just how aware of the needs and wants of children they are- and although the centre is still being added to, it is being utilised and enjoyed by many. What was interesting was how a site that before was unloved and used for burnt-out bikes and rubbish has been appreciated by the community rather than vandalised- it just goes to show how important a little respect is.
external walls are hydroponic garden
social enterprise cafe

more information on london open house

2006-09-14T18:18:00.000+01:00

HERE'S TO THE SOLE TRADER!

When i was younger there always used to be an old man who rode around on his bicycle selling onions and it looks like he's passed the business down a generation- I saw this guy today, could he be following in his father's footsteps?

Now that Starbucks, Sainsburys, Dixons etc rule our high streets, it's comforting to know that the big corporations haven't put ALL the smaller traders out of business!

2006-09-12T18:47:00.000+01:00

LOVE AND WAR: THE WEAPONIZED WOMAN

A new exhibition has just opened at the Museum at FIT, looking at the influence of armor and other military styles on fashion. Ok, sounds pretty unexciting, but more than just chain mail and uniforms the curators have looked at female power through clothing, dividing the exhibition into four sections-

-'The Weaponized Woman' featuring warrior-like fashions by Boudicca, JPG, Versace and Yamamoto,
-'The Hard Body' which looks at moulded forms on the catwalk including pieces by Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler and Hussein Chalayan,
-'Officers, Not Gentlemen' showing how military uniforms are used in contemporary fashion,
-'Skin2: Weapons of Seduction' which explores the allure of lingerie

Power through clothing seems a prevalant topic at the moment, and as more stylish women take prime positions in male-dominated environments (Segolene Royal, Zaha Hadid), designers are producing clothes that harness 'the spirit of warrior women' (think of the last collections by Marios Schwab or Viktor and Rolf, and the recent return to animal prints). This is one trend that is set to continue- men had better watch out!!

FIT press release

2006-09-12T14:52:00.000+01:00

BAGS OF WISDOM!

Walking down Bond Street I couldn't help but notice the wise words emanating off the Samsonite windows promoting their Proverbs collection- a range of bags with cheesy slogans of 'wisdom' imprinted in the leather.

An interesting concept, although not the most stylish realisation- I like the idea of using meaningful text on inanimate objects. Could this be the future- wearing your beliefs quite literally on your sleeve (or arm at least!)

2006-09-08T14:33:00.000+01:00

KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE

Noticed this full-page advert in the Jewish Chronicle this morning and was impressed by Tesco's clever niche targeting. How to engage more with your customer? Understand what's going on in their lives. Simple, clever and personal advertising like this is surely the future for growing brand loyalty.

2006-09-07T17:07:00.000+01:00

GOT AN AMANDA? YOU'RE IN LUCK!

Am loving this site- it's a slogan generator that will randomly place any word you give it into one of the catchphrases in its vast catalogue, and then print it onto a T-shirt should you so desire. It's amazing how many of them you can identify and just goes to show how important a good slogan is to building brand recognition. I challenge anyone not to get a giggle out of it-

slogan generator

2006-09-07T17:02:00.000+01:00

NOW YOU CAN DRESS LIKE A TV STAR

Emulating your favourite real celebrity is so passe- now you can dress like your favourite TV character instead thanks to a collaboration between Los Angeles-based premium denim company AG Adriano Goldschmied and HBO. The two have teamed up to create a full lifestyle brand out of the network's hit series "Entourage", according to Womenswear Daily. The result is a denim and sportswear brand called AG for Entourage.

The series is based around the lives of Vincent "Vince" Chase, a hot young actor in Hollywood, his three-member entourage and his agent, and is produced by Mark Wahlberg.

According to Alissa Friedman, marketing and advertising manager for AG Adriano Goldschmied,

"[The show] is the hip and current direction in which one can drive their entire lifestyle, the guide on what's hot in technology, cars, restaurants, clubs and, most importantly, what's hip in fashion. Since you can't be them, the least you can do is dress like them."

The collection will be launched for spring, and the company is targeting upscale specialty boutiques and select department stores. In addition, the line will be sold in AG freestanding stores to make every availability for us mere mortals to get our hands on the aspirational clothing and be one step closer to our dream lives!

full article

2006-09-01T22:31:00.000+01:00

This flier for Lunchdate London landed on my desk today, and the playful slogan caught my attention. A new dating service aimed at busy London professionals, it's usp is 'Why risk your precious evenings when you can keep first dates short and sweet at lunchtime'- a polite way of saying in the likelihood that the date is crap you know you won't have to waste more than an hour!

According to their website

"The answer is simple: date people who work in your area! That way you know they’re in the same industry as you, so you’re bound to have loads to talk about. And you can just meet at lunch or for a quick drink after work, so you’ll have time to chat and flirt and test the all-important chemistry, but it won’t take up a whole evening or cost a bundle"

I'm not sure that London can be divided quite like that, or if having a partner in the same profession is such a good thing, but i'd be intrigued to know their success rate

lunchdatelondon

2006-08-31T18:04:00.000+01:00

ADVERTISING HELP FROM A HIGHER POWER!

This is definitely the funniest thing I have read today- ihaveanidea, Advertising’s Intellectual Archive, is excited to announce that it has commissioned a witch to forge a potion that will enhance the creative abilities of advertising professionals around the world!

"Ads around the world haven’t been that inspiring lately,” says Ignacio Oreamuno, President of ihaveanidea. “I think everyone in the industry could use a spark — a little touch of magic. As a result, we decided to ask Heidi Reiss, a real certified witch to create a magic potion that would enhance the creative abilities of copywriters and art directors around the world"

ihaveanidea

2006-08-24T12:38:00.001+01:00

PRACTICAL AND STYLISH!

I noticed these mini Bourjois lip glosses in a shop in Menorca. With a strap to attach to your mobile, it's a clever move on from the little toys that so many tweens already use to accessorise their phones, and a good way to tie a completely unrelated product in with technology. Personally I am always a fan of products in miniature- they're so much easier to fit in an evening bag!!!

2006-08-07T17:23:00.000+01:00

GET ME... ANOTHER REALITY TV JOB COMPETITION

News has reached me of a new Channel 4 programme due to start filing in September. A search for new television production talent, 'Get Me The Producer' looks more like a re-interpreted version of The Apprentice; the premise is that twelve aspiring producers compete to demonstrate who is the most creative, with each week of the show based around a different genre of television, involving "some of the most talented people working in the industry". Fronted by Greg Dyke, the former director general of the BBC, it just goes to show how even unglamorous professions can be given their 15 minutes of fame.

Although it may not make for exciting viewing, I am definitely in favour of this kind of programming- if nothing else it promotes the idea of actually having a job and forging a career, which after another summer of Big Brother contestants selling their stories is a lesson worth reminding people.

Get Me The Producer

2006-08-03T16:18:00.000+01:00

THE ART OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Earlier this week I visited the Natural History Museum's exhibition in partnership with Cape Farewell; 'a free, contemporary art exhibition designed to deepen our understanding of climate change'. The exhibition offered an array of interesting interpretations, most notably Michele Noach's contour 'Contextascope', David Buckland's ice texts, and Anthony Gormley's ice-cast 'Marker One'- although 'Stranded', the crystal-encrusted whale skeleton by Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey makes the loudest statement, showing the impact of climate change in endangering species in a hauntingly beautiful way.

exhibition info

The best part of the exhibition for me though, was the Ideas Tank computer screen where you could find information on a wide array of practical solutions and positive approaches for encorporating the idea of sustainability into your life, and then email yourself any that you wanted more information on. Here are some of the interesting ideas on offer-

-CarbonNeutral Flight Calculator
Return flights to Paris for Â£3.20? Well that's the cost of the offset anyway. The CarbonNeutral Flight Calculator measures your flight emissions, then works out how much you need to spend to 'neutralise' them. The money you spend goes towards community projects that save exactly the same amount of carbon dioxide.

carbon neutral flight calculator

-Sustrans
It's easy to focus on the problems created by increased car use, instead Sustrans provides creative, imaginative and practical solutions, aiming to change the way we travel by increasing the amount people walk and cycle. Use the interactive map to discover cycle routes near you and what you'll see along the way. Disused railway lines, canal towpaths, riversides and parks - the National Cycle Network offers 16,000 miles of signed cycle routes throughout the UK, putting almost 75 per cent of the UK population within two miles of the network.

sustrans

-Buy Nothing Day
Participate by not participating. Buy Nothing Day is a personal 24-hour experiment, a challenge simply not to buy anything. Founded 14 years ago by ex-advertising executive Kalle Lasn, and propelled into a global protest movement via the Internet, Buy Nothing Day is celebrated in more than 65 countries by millions of people, each celebrating this anti-holiday in their own way. Concerned with sustainability and the political implications of our culture of over-consumption, it has inspired some seriously provocative and interesting actions

buy nothing day

buy nothing day UK

-Home-brewed fuel
'Today, 42-year-old Steele is one of Britain's growing brigade of biodiesel fans. His red Volvo, a familiar sight in Manchester, runs on fuel brewed in his garden from oil he obtains from local kebab and fish-and-chip shops. "The beauty is that organic-origin oil has as much specific energy as oil of mineral origin and there is enough renewable energy for our needs," said Steele, who whips up 250-litre (66-gallon) batches of diesel with an apparatus he perfected over the years. Advocates say biodiesel is the solution to fuel shortages, pollution, global warming and farming problems

more info

2006-08-02T16:53:00.000+01:00

NIGHTJAM

NightJam is a music and photography project exploring the London night through the eyes of homeless young people in King's Cross.

"In early Summer 2006, Scanner invited young people at New Horizon Youth Centre in King's Cross to collaborate on a creative project that expresses how the city at night looks and sounds to their eyes and ears. Through music and voice the group explored the sense of freedom and fear, exhilaration and solitude of the concealing darkness. Between sessions, they captured their nights on camera. NightJam presents two elusive visual and musical journeys through the city’s ‘quiet’ hours."

NightJam

2006-08-02T09:37:00.000+01:00

HAVE A NICE DAY!

I've always been a big fan of Transport for London's Platform for Art program, and love seeing the new installations- it brightens up a dull journey when you pull into one if these station-cum-galleries, especially when what you see is as colourful and vibrant as the newest addition to Gloucester Rd- Chiho Aoshima's 'City Glow, Mountain Whisper'

According to tfl " 'City Glow, Mountain Whisper' shows a timeless world created by contemporary technology. It suggests a utopian vision of the earth in which the past and future have collided and the boundaries between organic creatures and inanimate things have broken down. It alludes to the results of genetic, technological and environmental developments. A hybrid of the human, the animal, the plant and the man-made is proposed, and life is literally breathed into each building and mountain."

The work expands along the whole platform, evolving along the way and enticing you to follow it- the only problem is you wish the trains would stop going past and ruining your view!

2006-07-31T12:54:00.000+01:00

BUILT BY YOU

Wendy Mullin of Built by Wendy whose collections have always been based around her love of the handmade and hand-sewn, has designed a line of home sewing patterns for the Simplicity Pattern Co. Anyone looking for more unique and stylish patterns can choose from a top, pants, shirt or jacket option- a refreshing change from the rather boring and naff pattern options generally available and a good way for a small design label to increase its appeal and spread its message

Built by You patterns

2006-07-30T18:27:00.000+01:00

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

In the next few weeks, Mini USA will launch a series of ads in a wide range of magazines aimed just at Mini owners, and excluding everyone else.

The ads will be encrypted, decipherable only by the cognoscenti. Mini is sending owners a "covert" kit - mocked up as a wizened-looking book - that will include special glasses, a decoder, and a "magic window decryptor." Using those, owners will be able to find Web addresses in the ads that lead them to free prizes and invitations to events. Mini are hoping that non-owners will feel slightly jealous that they're out of the loop, and rush to their nearest car dealership! An interesting idea, lets see how it affects their sales!

Businessweek article

2006-07-27T18:27:00.000+01:00

LIPTON ICE TEA OUTDOOR OFFICE

A great bit of promotion by Lipton- they have taken over part of Soho Square this week and created a fully functioning wi-fi enabled office which anyone can use for free. Considering the record-breaking temperatures at the moment and the lack of air-conditioning in so many workplaces, the chance to work outdoors is proving very popular- as you can see-

"Open from 10am to 6pm on each day the outdoor offices provide everything a London employee needs to ensure they meet their deadline while catching some sunshine including a receptionist and waiting area, three bookable meeting rooms, a workstation area with Wi-Fi hotdesks for fifteen people (provided by T-Mobile) and a free refreshment bar"

If only all offices could be like this!

lipton outdoor office

2006-07-26T19:45:00.000+01:00

MARINES RECRUITING THROUGH MYSPACE

Now there's a way to utilise social networking sites and catch the kids while they're young and impressionable: the Miami Herald reports that over 12,000 MySpace users have signed on as friends of the U.S Marine Corps, and other miltary branches are planning to try their luck with web surfers as well. What's next, using World of Warcraft to train them?!

full article

2006-07-26T19:10:00.000+01:00

ALL FOR CHARITY

I saw this in the paper and was surprised by its effectiveness- it's very simple but makes a strong point that charity can be at any point in your life- even after.

2006-07-25T17:42:00.000+01:00

FISHING- THE NEW COOL?!

I have been wondering what activity could possibly grab the nation next- from boot camp fitness and 'Muddy Buddy' races to parkour and bouldering, everyone seems to be going crazy for adrenaline- chasing, ultra-endurance fitness, so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself noticing an increase in attention towards something far less strenuous- fishing- especially for women!

CNN reported on the Fishin’ Chix, 'an elite club of Pensacola women who took to the seas after Hurricane Ivan tore through their upscale neighborhood almost two years ago', whose founder has 'launched her own plan to expose more women to what she calls “Armani-style fishing" ', whilst over on this side of the pond Nutri-Grain is advertising it's oat bars with two twentysomething women out on a fishing trip.

Clearly they think that their target customer who eats her breakfast on the go escapes to the countryside on the weekends, which although probably not very accurate has a definite element of truth- there is a growing environmental guilt from city living and a desire to get back to nature, so maybe fishing is the answer to fill the void in our consumer-driven lives??!

CNN article

2006-07-19T17:04:00.000+01:00

DRIVE-IN ADVERTISING!

Renault UK are promoting their new Megane by launching a season of outdoor drive-in movies across the UK. According to Brand Republic, a deal has been struck with Carat who are"promoting the launch of the Renault Megane's 'Do it with Mediterranean Style' communication platform which will feature on-site food stalls and refreshments at each film screening". Tickets to the screenings are free from the newly developed microsite, hosted by Channel 4.

Renault have picked up on a really good guerilla trend which has been filtering back into consumer consciousness, and are using it in a clever way- the British have a very romanticised view of drive-in movies, (mainly because our climate hasn't allowed for much outdoor entertainment in the past!) and as our summers get hotter and hotter everyone is looking for new external activities, plus creating an evening's entertainment around their brand dilutes the message whilst still clearly promoting Renault in a way that is inoffensive to the public- Looks to me like everyone's a winner!

more info

2006-07-19T12:30:00.000+01:00

THE END OF ROCHAS?

Rochas a/w 06

It's a sad sad day for fashion- according to WWD, Rochas fashion house is to close. Despite having recieved critical acclaim for its collections since the appointment of Olivier Theyskens as designer three years ago, and reporting a 30% growth last year, the ready-to-wear business is still making a loss. Although Theysken's collections were some of the most refreshingly original and wearable seen, the extortionate price points of Rochas has been its downfall. As we know most fashion houses are struggling financially with very few making a profit from their clothing lines, so maybe now it's time for them to re-assess their future and look at ways of decreasing their prices! Lets hope Theyskens relaunches his own line (which he put on hold to take the job at Rochas), as I think he is a designer with true creative insight.

WWD

2006-07-17T15:42:00.000+01:00

SHOOT LONDON!

My friends and I took part this weekend on a photographic treasure hunt of London, arranged by Shoot Experience.
The company started creating these days last year and the events have all sold out so far- it's a fun and exciting way to spend a day, and the prizes are awarded for creativity and humour so anyone can have a go- although my little camera paled in comparison to the professional -looking equipment most people seemed to have!

I think the idea could extend to lots of other cities, it's certainly taking off here! It's a good way to discover things about your city you never knew, and could be great for non-natives too - anyone for treasure hunt tourism??

shoot experience

2006-07-14T13:59:00.000+01:00

GUGGENHEIM OPENING ART MUSEUM IN ABU DHABI

Frank Gehry is designing a branch of the Guggenheim foundation to be the first major art museum to open in the city, which is apparently costing over $200 million and should be built by 2011.

Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the plan "represents the determination of the Abu Dhabi government to create a world-class cultural destination for its residents and visitors. "

2006-07-14T11:46:00.000+01:00

THE CHAP AND HENDRICK'S OLYMPICS

Yesterday evening Bedford Square gardens in central london was the scene of the "annual olympiad for the immaculate of trouser, the frail of form and the fearful of sport", arranged by those wonderful fellows from The Chap magazine and sponsored by Hendrick's gin. A crowd of over 500 gathered to watch events such as the Martini knockout relay, explained by the master of ceremonies as "a particularly hard task when one is used to having the martini made by the manservant", the cucumber sandwich discus, and the pipe-smoking relay, all accomplished with a theatrical elegance, although my personal favourite was the not quite so refined three-trousered limbo. A brass band and free gin and tonic kept the atmosphere merry!

There were lots of impressive outfits on display, not only from those competing, and what struck me was just how many men had dressed the part. It just goes to show that the re-invention of the traditional etonian dandy currently dominating the menswear catwalks is a look that men still aspire to, and long may it continue- as a friend commented last night "don't the men look much more attractive when they dress up", it's about time they made an effort too!!

The Chap

2006-07-13T09:58:00.000+01:00

PORSCHE AND ADIDAS- POSING FOR THE MASSES?!

I (like many) am of the belief that men who drive a Porsche are often middle-aged, unfit posers compensating for their lacking masculinity, so was shocked to hear of the impending collaboration between Porsche and Adidas, a brand who has been striving to be seen as active, trendy and cutting-edge.

"In Spring/Summer 2007 Porsche Design and adidas introduce an innovative hi-tech sport and design orientated sport performance collection for men. The objective of the long-term cooperation is to jointly establish a hi-tech premium brand in the sports sector. The first Porsche Design Sport product line highlights four sport categories: Driving, Running, Golf and Tennis. "

It just goes to show that no brand is immune from the lure of the wealthy- adidas want a piece of the rapidly increasing luxury market, and porsche golf gear is the way to go!

"The Porsche Design Sport collection will hit retail exclusively in December 2006. By January 15, 2007 the range can be purchased in high-end stores in six selected markets: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, US and Asia"

(quotes from the adidas press room)

2006-07-11T23:31:00.000+01:00

POETRY IN MOTION!

Poetry is clearly having a resurgence, with Thamesbeat music on the rise ( check out the arcade fire and larrikin love), and ipoems.org.uk- a website going live in October that offers over 1.000 poems to download onto iPods for 50p each. But now you can show your love of verse quite literally on your sleeve- lyric jeans is a new clothing line that prints the lyrics to your chosen song onto the denim. The company has joined forces with EMI Music Publishing to get permission to use some of the songs in their catalogue, and in the idea sounds like it could do well targeting the teen and tween audience, although the choice available (songs like “Rebel, Rebel,” “Daydream Believer,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” “What’s Goin’ On” and “Material Girl) seems to show that they have a more mature target audience in mind!

lyric jeans

57 productions

2006-07-11T15:30:00.000+01:00

MERGING ART AND TECHNOLOGY

American museums and art galleries are starting to utilise mobile phones instead of the usual rentable audio guides. The Tacoma Art Museum in Washington is taking this a step further with its Ear for Art: Chihuly Glass CellPhone Walking Tour, which encompasses the many works of Dale Chihuly located throughout museums and public spaces in the city centre.

"The Ear for Art tour may be accessed any time of day or night, from anywhere in the country by calling 888.411.4220. The tour features twelve audio stops located throughout the Museum District that provide cell-phone users the opportunity to hear a narrator – and even Chihuly himself – talk about the installations. The self-guided tour can begin or end at any of the five locations, and access to the tour is free; callers simply pay for their personal airtime charges. The tour also includes games that can be played as the tour progresses."

A good use of mobile technology to encourage learning and exploration of art, especially when it's free!

art daily

2006-07-06T17:06:00.000+01:00

TOMAS SARACENO

I took these pictures of 'Extraordinary Art Forum' -the amazing video installation by Tomas Saraceno at the Barbican.

"In his most ambitious project to date, Saraceno has created a dramatic installation featuring a video shot from a ring of 32 cameras floating on the world's largest salt lake, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

Images of the sky reflected on the lake are captured by Saraceno's cameras and projected onto the 80-metre wall of The Curve, creating a visually stunning panorama in which the viewer is immersed in, and floats amongst, the clouds.

The project continues Saraceno's exploration of airborne communities as a solution to the world's exploding population. Could this utopian vision of flying cities become a real and sustainable alternative to urban life."

2006-07-04T13:26:00.000+01:00

Saw this "Mass Coffee" mobile stall outside a church on Upper Street. Coincidence or clever placement?!!

2006-07-04T10:19:00.000+01:00

NEW DESIGNERS EXHIBITION PART 1

Part 1 of the new designers exhibition at the business design centre showed some interesting new ideas. Graduates seemed to be utilising new university equipment with a wide variety of lazercut fabrications and soft watercolour-wash digital prints. Alongside the typical graduate over-embellished and victoriana-inspired designs, themes that stood out were travel- especially in the form of military equipment and topographical mapping, and the strong use of lines of text in designs, as well as a clear rise in the use of embroidery. The 1980s was also still a big inspiration point for many with pop graphics and naive cartoony motifs seen everywhere, and oriental influences were also obvious.

Ones to watch out for in the future:
-David Mitchell (Somerset College)- black felted tree print on a jigsaw of black slate slabs. Surface textures with a sinister air
-Polly Burton (Chelsea College of Art and Design) - small-scale repeat prints on reels of fabric tape/ ribbon
-Sam Jones - felted geometric prints on latex
-Tomasz Dovocik (RCA) - violent and provocative jewllery using horse hair, twisted cord and gold spears
-Kyeok Kim (RCA) - light-emitting jewellery that shines tatooed motif across the body

There seemed to be an increased interest in organic fabrics and ecological issues, but Laura Nathan's mosaic of cubes of soap covered in a varying thickness of hair (seen below) was the most unique adaptation of natural resources seen!

New Designers

2006-07-03T16:57:00.000+01:00

BRING BACK RATIONING

There's a really interesting article from this weekend's Financial Times by Richard Tomkins which talks about ideas for the future of purchasing. It looks at how traditionally price altering prevented certain products being available to the masses, but now the problem is not the material possesions but dwindling natural resources and environmental issues, and offers a possible solution...

"How, I wonder, would people respond if the cost of motoring were pushed up to the point where only the very wealthy could afford to drive their cars and everyone else had to use public transport? Or if the cost of air travel were raised to the point where only the super-rich could afford to fly?"

"With just a little adjustment, it [rationing] could be updated to our more market-orientated times. We could each be given an annual quota of environmental credits, or e-credits, to spend as we wished on goods or services to which access was restricted on environmental grounds."

bring back rationing

2006-06-28T23:34:00.000+01:00

NIGHT HAUNTS

I found this flier for a really interesting new collaborative journal on london at night. It's an ongoing record which is updated monthly throughout 2006.

"In this contemporary nocturnal journal, Sandhu prospects in the London night with the people who drive its pulse from night cleaners to praying nuns, security guards to the Samaritans. In each episode, Sandhu reflects on the nature of the urban night. Has night life been corroded by light and entertainment? What are the invisible forces that pulse through the sleeping city? Is real darkness possible any more?"

Not only is it an interesting read that explores the power of the london night and those whose lives revolve around it, but the website is also an eerie sensory experience thanks to a collaboration with the sound artist Scanner.

night haunts

2006-06-21T14:19:00.000+01:00

EVERLANDIA:VIRTUAL TRAVEL AGENCY

Everlandia, a multimedia project by Martin Bricelj, is an interactive installation at the ICA which according to Art Daily "Challenges the imagination to pick and compose from those landscapes, plants and animals, which most accurate express the image of the individuals dreamland....it re-examines the relationship between man, technoogy and the unknown."

You can create your own Everlandia at www.everlandia.net, or just look at other people's fantasy lands.

Everlandia

2006-06-21T12:09:00.000+01:00

NEW NIKE AD

Also noticed this yesterday- interesting take on football patriotism!

2006-06-21T12:04:00.000+01:00

Saw this Invisible University poster on a newsagent's wall on Clerkenwell Rd

2006-06-19T19:59:00.000+01:00

this was my favourite exhibit- from Odile Decq Benoit Cornette Architects, Paris, entitled 'God Save the Bat, the new underground'

2006-06-19T19:36:00.000+01:00

According to some of the architects displaying ideas at 'The World in One City- A Sketch for London', part of the London Architecture Biennale, the theme of water is a predominant issue (no great surprise). However a couple of concepts caught my eye in particular-

ALDO CIBIC AND PARTENERS, Milan, Italy - FARMING-ON-THAMES - "...In 2018, after the collapse of mass distribution due to the high cost of oil, new local micro economies are flourishing; one of the most successful is the 'floating market': beautiful barges with vegetable gardens, livestock and fruit from the countryside are mooring at the docks. The barges are very beautiful and some owners live on them, sometimes with the entire family."

CHRISTIAN WALDVOGEL, Zurich, Switzerland - LONDON AGGREGATIC CITY - "Global warming is likely to partially melt the polar ice caps: this would cause the mean sea level to rise by dozens of metres. Low-lying cities like London would face a situation where the sea poses a constant threat. The concept of a flexible city that is built "hovering" over London would be an answer to this situation. This city would follow the principles of aggregatic change in its main aspects.... Very large, hollow spheres hover a few km above the city. The air they contain is warmed by the sun, this generates an upward pull large enough to carry the weight of the city branch attached to it."

EEA- ERIK VAN EGERAAT ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTS, Rotterdam, Holland - TOWER BRIDGE - "Tower Bridge, symbol of London, will be reinterpreted as a new urban environment; 200 metres high, offering space for 1000 families, with infrastructure for a new dimension of city living"