Nr°27-image of the day

Everything is a perfume by Lernert and Sander composed out of all fragrances launched in 2012. Imagine what this would smell like!!

Over the last year Lernert and Sander http://www.lernertandsander.com collected almost 1400 samples of newly launched fragrances. By mixing the content of all of these bottles, they created 1.5 liter of Everything. This unique perfume comes in a specially designed and hand blown bottle, an enlargement of a classic sample bottle.

At the Toca Me design conference in Munich they said it smells kinda like Chanel N° 5...

In early March the bottle was showcased at Colette http://www.colette.fr, 213 Rue St-Honoré in Paris. 
Visitors had the rare chance to try it. 

Where you can try it now? I'll keep my eyes and ears open, and keep you posted on future expositions or 'smell sessions'.

What about the guys themselves? Who are Lenert and Sander?

Well, on their website, I find the following info: "Lernert Engelberts (1977) and Sander Plug (1969) are two highly talented Dutch artists based in Amsterdam. They create high-concept art films and installations, with simple but stunning art direction, all driven by their subtly dry, cheeky sense of humour.

They have created eye-catching installations for the windows at Selfridges, where they transformed large household objects into high fashion ladies' shoes. 

They have also produced remarkable editorial films for Fantastic Man and Nowness, the sassy music video ‘Elektrotechnique’, and their own personal projects, such as the ingenious documentary ‘How To Explain It To My Parents’.

Their film 'Natural Beauty', commissioned by Nowness http://www.nowness.com, has become an international phenomenon, receiving over a million hits on YouTube and being blogged by luminaries as unexpected as Perez Hilton and Oprah Winfrey."

I would keep an eye on them. Or try to smell if they're around...

ROA street animals-a life inspiration story

Sometimes you see work from an artist, work that really blows you away. That happened when is saw this clip on the work of street artist ROA. This guy seemed to be a Belgian-very hard to find- graffiti artist, highly respected by all his fellow street artists and with loads of (hidden) work near my city Ghent.

We were supposed to go to this current exhibition 'Stop over' at the Bodson-Emelinckx Gallery in Brussels. We were.
As you know by now, we have this fantastic habit not to go to openings of art shows or exhibitions, but we hit the museum on closing day. The last day, the exhibit has a strange exciting feel, everyone who is there not to miss anything. It's not on purpose we are that late but it happens. To busy, to stuffed agenda's....
We did the closing days for Damien Hirst in London, The Terracotta Army in Brussels, Chloë at Palais de Tokyo, Basqiat in Paris....

So, we left for Brussels on Saturday the 22nd, arrived in the afternoon at the  Bodson-Emelinckx Gallery, and stood in front of closed doors. An empty gallery, me together with about 20 other people. Very disappointed, we all felt empty some how.
We so loved to see ROA's animals, painted and drawn on wooden cabinets, old furniture and some gallery walls. See them come alive, look them in the vivid eye, and take them with us.
We didn't.
Thank you Bodson-Emelinckx. Thanks for closing a day too early.
No signage, no 'sorry', nothing.

The idea is now to give ourselves a challenge. We want to go and check out places where ROA left his signatures, his animals, his skeletons.... We'll try to find ROA's work in some European cities when we visit: London, Berlin, Barcelona, NY and off course in his (en my)home town Ghent. 

This page gives animal murals of this amazing artist/ http://roaweb.tumblr.com/. 
It helps if you, just like us, missed his expo in Brussels, because the guys closed a day early... Damn. 

Nr°26 Image of the day

What do you think? I love this inspiration board from New Yorker Pamela Love who  began making jewelry in her Brooklyn apartment in 2006. 

From her full operational design studio in Manhattan’s she works on ethnical inspired jewels, but is far more her inspiration boards that got my attention today.

Love's line is committed to sustainability and localized production. All gemstones and semiprecious stones are ethically sourced and almost all metal used is recycled.

http://www.pamelalovenyc.com/

Spice up your work space-a life inspiration story

Inspiring offices are always a delight to see. It gives hope. The fact that there's still energy and financial juice to invest in a work place where people feel good, can not be encouraged enough.
We all know how much time we spend at our office, and how much more energy you get by living and breathing some much needed creativity while you work your a** off.
Check out these JWT Amsterdam office, an advertising firm who understands the drill.

The office plan was arranged around three sections - 'Think', 'Do' and 'Make' - with bold graphics defining each section while fulfilling the remake's motto to 'seriously surprise'.

There's certainly plenty to love here - from a greenhouse-style meeting room stuffed with plants, to giant robots that double as cupboards, tree sculptures and a pop-art panorama. Watch the time-lapse video http://vimeo.com/59565077 

Other fun touches include giant, face-shaped 'Nemo' chairs by Driade, an oversized cardboard bunny (for holding awards) and walls emblazoned with the agency's motto. 
There also lots of places to get away, from corners and cabins for meetings to a a cafe.

May this be a wake-up call for all managers: Make sure that the spaces people work in, are as aspirational, as you want them to be aspirational in their work.

The JWT Amsterdam office, graphically touched by: Kamp Horst, Sieger Duinkerken, Anders Rockum,Jeroen de Boorder.

Concept/Design: http://www.alrik.nl 
http://www.rjw-elsinga.com

Music by Vacationer, iTunes link: http://goo.gl/0FQH2

More information via: http://www.jwtamsterdam.nl

Looking at space is a new trend-alife inspiration story.

We all know the feeling. In the busy problem packed world we live in, we are looking for more. Looking for answers. After years of looking at 'me', we forgot to talk about the big skies above us, stuff that is so much greater than we are, and that puts things into perspecitive. Are we finding answers in science? Is science a new, sexy, intangible and unknown direction we can take to get new perspectives?
As we more and more feel the need to escape out of the current world we live in, some air can be found in the stars above our heads.
But, where to find these skies that are so full of stars, unpolluted by to much light or city smogs?

Well, Chili is one of the places. Over there, in a small village looking over the Elqui Valley, the owners of Elqui Domos  build in 2005 an astronomic observatory within an amazing hotel site. The idea was to show and experience the grandeur of the  skies of the valley. Elqui Domos is a very unique lodging offer, it is one
 of the 7 astronomic hotels worldwide, and the only one in the South Hemisphere. 

There will be more, looking at the growing interest in science tourism.  

The observatory consists of two domes that house top professional telescopes. The domes are motorized and there is a digital camera for the observation of the moon and planets.
Elqui Domos is located 110 km from La Serena city (regional capital, and closer airport LSC) and 580 km from Santiago. 

I would love to go to this poetic, magical place. Imagine to stay in these super cool domes, sleeping with the lid open under the stars...

As I was at a trend seminar in London last week, this quote stroke me in the context of this post.

‘People now feel a hunger for new ideas, for new innovations, for new ways of looking at the world. And in this new Enlightenment, the scientists will be the new rockstars.
Ariane Koek, international arts development, CERN 

http://elquidomos.cl/

Rainbow outfits fashionista style-a life inspiration story

I don't know if you know Scott Schuman? Schuman is an American blogger and fashion photographer who created the blog 'The Sartorialist' where he photographs people he sees on the street whose style he finds striking.  

He launched a few months ago the category: "If you're thinking about....", where he shows one item, like a baseball jacket, a below the knee A-line skirt or let's say... red lips, worn by several people during one fashion week period.

It gives cute snap-shot-like images, where he shows his talent to spot similarities in not so similar people.

Here in Belgium, the gay community can not wear a rainbow shirt at work (yeah, where shall I start to explain this foolish rule anyhow?), so I see this colorful and positive post of Scott as a small statement pro rainbow garments, in all conditions. People should wear more rainbows. Everywhere.

Photos by Scott Schuman

Want to see more pictures of The Sartorialist? Check out http://www.thesartorialist.com

Nr°25 Image of the day

Look at this miracle pine, a single tree that survived the Japanese tsunami in 2011. This lone pine was the only one from the 70.000 plants along the coast to survive the horrible catastrophe.
What a great poetic thought to turn this lonesome survivor into a statue in honor of the 19.000 people who died there.

Photo Shizuo Kambayashi

But, a few months after the tsunami, because of the exposure to seawater, the roots of the tree started to die too. Dedicated teams dissected the tree in smaller parts and the hollowed out branches were reassembled with a carbon spine inside.

You find this symbol of hope in Iwate Prefecture. Enjoy it in his solitary beauty and pay it a visit when you are in the neighbourhood. Ya, the Japanese neighborhood.

POPULAR TODAY ART

vik muniz's scrap metal animals at the armory show

the brazilian artist reincarnates golden metal scraps into a whimsical and meticulously crafted series >>

aircraft underbellies by jeffrey milstein

moments before landing, the artist freezes the mechanical beasts in time just as they enter>>

japan's miracle pine is turned into a monument

the lone pine was the only one from approximately 70,000 plants along the coast to survive the >>

braided mason line installation by megan mosholder

in an effort to examine the properties of spatial experience, the artist generates a powerful visual >>

carsten nicolai explores particle phenomena

through an eclectic series of installations spanning science, art and technology, the artist realizes>>

What if money was no object-a life inspiration video story

Ask yourself. What would you do with your life if money was no object? An amazing simple lecture from the late Alan Watts. 
Take your time to hear it out. And think about it.
It might give you an idea to start your day tomorrow in a slightly different way.
I will.
Alan Watts audio courtesy of alanwatts.org.

Nr°24 Image of the day

Check out Miss Dita Von Teese who showed recently this fully articulated 3D-printed dress designed specifically for her. This futuristic black gown was assembled from 17 individual pieces,

has nearly 3000 unique articulated joints and is adorned with

over 13.000 Swarovski crystals. 

Designer Michael Smidt designed the gown but to actually realize

and print the design they called in architect Francis Bitonti and

the company Shapeways (a NY based team).

Dutch fashion designer Iris Van Herpen is already experimenting

with this amazing technique for years and I keep an eye on her

work every time she shows...You'll see why...

(So does Lady Gaga who is a passionate fan of her work)

Iris Van Herpen

Iris Van Herpen

Iris Van Herpen

Lady Gaga in Iris Van Herpen

Lady Gaga in Iris Van Herpen

Nr°23 Image of the day

© nigel young / foster + partners

Just stunning: the 'vieux port pavilion' by foster + partners. 

Located in Marseille in la douce France

Look at the horizontal plane of stainless steel that mirrors 
the quayside and pedestrian traffic in a most breathtaking way. 

This project is part of a greater revitalization effort 
of some Marseille area's.
The mirrored, covered zone is envisioned as an event space and 
possible market place where the pavilion reflects 
beautifully the bustling port in Marseille. It's great to see 
spectators become part of the landscape experience.

Next time you visit Marseille, check it out and make some 
reflection pictures!

Some technical info?
The 46 by 22 meter canopy is made of highly polished stainless 
steel such that it reflects the inverted pedestrian area and

harbor at the water's edge. 
The landscape design was developed by Michel Desvigne and 
includes a subtle granite surface.

© nigel young / foster + partners

© nigel young / foster + partners

Share your weather sentiments-a life inspiration story.

Nothing moves people more, nothing makes people happier, nothing gets more on people nerves as the weather conditions.'Takeweather' is a brand new social networking app by Sunhan Kwon.
This fun app combines traditional photo sharing with a weather report from anywhere in the world. Share and view in real-time all possible updates of weather conditions all over the world.The graphics look like a post card, with automatic indications of current temperatures,time and location.

Imagine: real time weather views on Paris! Is it raining in... NY? Did you see the amazing sunset in Rio? Join da club and I'll keep you posted on my travel city weather. Promise!

The app is not about anonymous weather pictures 

but it's stuffed with user-generated content by people sharing 

their emotions trough private and on the spot weather pictures.

You also can share your posts to Facebook or Twitter with your 

friends along with local weather information.

Try it and let me know what you think about this one!

  

  

App Download : itunes.apple.com/app/take-weather/id579630181?mt=8