Michael Vincent Manalo did a photography series on the "Tales from the Story Teller". This collection depicts stories that can be seen as freedom to tales of despair and misery to the simple yet memorable days of pure ecstasy. Michael has always found that life is fascinating and to capture these moments gives him a feeling of pride and enjoyment in what he does as an artist. So enjoy today's images and reflect on what you think might be happening in each photo. Leave a comment and tell me what you think. If you get time as well check out his other works on his site.
A collaboration has been joined by Kid Cudi, Rostam from Vampire Weekend and Bethany fromBest Coast to create a single for Converse All Summer Jam. It is an innovated advertising campaign by Converse to remind you to keep on liking the brand. I think they did a great job on this by adding in three talented people and coming up with a great idea for the music video. The way that the video was created is awesome. I'm all about the vintage burn look with the overly large paper mache heads. They must have had a blast making this video. You can tell just by watching this music video. If you like the song you can download it here
Lots of video content and words on the artists and their work up at Converse.com
The great thing about the summer time is there full of festivals and who doesn't like festivals right? They're full of great bands, food, people and good atmosphere. So seeing how festivals rock. This year I have decided to attend the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco August 14-15th at the Gold Gate park. This festival will give me the first time visitor a taste of the San Fran scene because this festival is like a taste of San Francisco with music, food, wine and art. I will tell you though I'm looking forward to some of the bands that will be performing this year. You have bands like Toyko Police Club, The Strokes, Phoenix, Slightly Stoopid, and many other great bands to fill your festival going ears.
I think another great thing about this festival is the wine tasting which California is known for its wineries. It looks like from the website that they have added 3 more wineries to the lineup. Berryessa Gap, Long Meadow Ranch and Palmina have been added in the ranks of an already impressive lineup of wineries featured in Wine Lands part of the festival. So if don't live in area you should travel on over to California and check out the Outside Lands Festival.
The time has come for this video to be shared. It was directed and created by Chris Wang. It's actually a viral campaign, and half website content made for Else Mobile Phones. The time has come acts as an intro for a new mobile device. It seems that this company is looking to utilize many new features that are not being used due to real world: complexity, usability, and the endless menus preventing them from being used. So they created a new phone called ELSE to address these issues, with an entirely different approach. You can go to the site and see a small demo of the phone and also get the specs for it.
I also have to give props to the creator of this video because the cinematography on the videos is amazing with its darker vintage look and it's technological data being portrayed all over the place. Plus it's kind of moving and you're hoping its for a new movie but nope it's a commercial.
This IF Mode Bike is a designers dreams. It's a beautiful piece of art work but it's also part transportation. This high-end foldable features large, monoblade wheel mountings, an enclosed trasmission, patented linkage that guides the wheels when folding, a heel push shifter, a Velo saddle, a disc brake, and supple handlebars. It also comes in two different colors that you can choose from cream or black. It was designed by acclaimed industrial designer Mark Sanders, is now available for purchase in the USA for a whopping $2,500 bucks.
Mark states that the IF Mode is aimed at commuters of the mobile generation who, until now, may have not considered cycling or folding bikes to be an option. IF Mode avoids oily chains, complex tubes with hidden dirt traps, and the clutter of traditional bike features. So if you got some cash you want to throw down on a new bike. Maybe you might consider this one as an option.
I can say that I'm enjoying the works of Berlin based photographer Matthias Heiderich. The collection that caught my eyes is his Berlin Color series. It's filled with photos taken at different locations around Berlin. His style and photo-graphical view points give a brighter and crisper view of the city. As a landscape photographer, Matthias cares about compositions and colors. Most of his work seem unreal and timeless, particularly Berlin Winter and Berlin Colour series. I also found out that he is a musician as well and was enjoying his tracks on Myspace while writing this post. So if you get a chance check out more of his work and have a listen to his music.
The other day I was check out the ISO50 blog and saw that Ghostly was doing a giveaway and seeing how I'm a fan of that label I had to check it out. When I was checking out their store I came upon the Card Speaker($75). This speaker is no bigger than credit card and as thick as a blister pack of chewing gum, the Card Speaker puts most every mp3 accessory to shame with its good looks and crisp fidelity. It was designed by IDEA International with the concept of being a speaker that wasn't a pain to carry around and easily accessible. It comes in either black or silver, with a mirror-polished back, and includes a protective carrying case, a 3.5 mm connection plug, and a USB battery charge cable. The speaker has an operating time of approximately five hours on a two-hour charge.
In 2010 if your an indie band you might have difficulty becoming a known band due to the over saturation of the indie culture. Although, if you have that right sound that feeds the neon kids then by gosh your going to rise to the top. One band who is pushing to the for front is Tokyo Police Club with their new album "Champion". Now Tokyo Police Club is no new band. They have been slowing growing a fan base since back in 2006 when they played each year at numerous festivals and then in 2008 they released their first album"Elephant Shell".
In the new album you will get a sense that the lyrics of this album have matured and the stories have lyrically improved compared to the band’s earlier work. This album is full of catchy pop-hooked melodies to fill your indie ear drums. The first two songs on the album "Favourite Food" and "Favourite Colour" are a pair of tracks that tingle with the sweetness of summer memories. These two songs get you going and gets you ready for the other great tracks on this album. Tokyo Police Club keep their sound going with it's light and poppy with its gently swaying guitar and keys throughout this album. So have a listen to some of their tracks from their album. Also let me know if you think in a couple of songs if Dave Monks the lead singer sounds like They Might Be Giants a little.
So we all remember the days of the Polaroid camera right? Well if your still a fan of the Polaroid then I have a camera to suit your vintage needs. The Polaroid SX-70 OneStep Land Camera ($210). This camera was developed in collaboration with the Impossible project and has a very limited amount of camera's manufactured. From what I have been reading it looks like on 50 units were made. They were hand-refurbished Land Cams that feature a white and black body with a seventies-licious rainbow running from the lens to the output slot. The camera also comes with two boxes of B&W/Sepia PX 100 film to get your started on taking some vintage Polaroid pictures.
This vacation home or potential permanent home was designed by Cadaval & Sola-Morales. This MB home is located in a large field in Tepoztlan, a small town just outside Mexico City. From what I have been told by the designers is that Tepoztlan is know for its magical landscapes and it's a haven for artists and intellectuals seeking a more serene escape. The project explores a small housing dimensions, the relationships between architecture and landscape, between the user and the nature. The home is divided into two areas, one public and one private area. The two area are divided by a strip of tropical vegetation and enters the architectural objects that allow you to generate a cross ventilation system for the entire building. In the front of the house it has two large terraces which give it open space that serves as an extension of the living area.
I found Gabrielle Kai through Flickr this morning while rummaging around for photos or inspiration. Her real name is A. Jarrett and the reason she goes by Gabrielle Kai is because that is her daughters name. In honor of her daughter she dedicates her work to her. It's her source of inspiration and the spark of her creativity. Gabrielle seems to be a busy photography due to she has many sets on Flickr account and she runs her own site and blog in which she goes into the detail of her photography. She also has shops in which you can purchase some of her works. If you get some time I would check out some more of here works. You might just find something that inspires you.
Let me leave you with a quote that she had on her flickr account that I thought was awesome. "There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are." ~Ernst Haas
I have been contemplating getting a bike but the only problem I have with that is space. I don't want to keep it in my place because I don't want a bike taking up space. So I have been looking at different bikes lately that can be folded up. That way the space that it does take up is very little. On my search for various design I came across Dominic Hargreaves concept bike call the Contortionist. This bike can be completely folded into the space of the wheel's 26in circumference. The 24-year-old from London, said he wanted to create a decent folding bike after the one he was using collapsed. "I couldn't find a folding bicycle I liked," he added. "I wanted something that could take a bit of punishment and that you could have fun with. "So I made one myself." Now Hargreaves is in contact with various manufacturers and hopes to get this bike into production soon.
What caught my attention of the ad below was the photography that was done by Zona-13. The style in which was used keeps my eyes focused on the concept while still giving the ad a more culture pull. It's meaning of environmental concepts and its idea of making the world a greener place is also another thing that pulls me into this ad.
This advertising campaign was designed by Legambiente PIM for the protection of the environment, entitled "under the carpet". It's an environmental ad which is trying to convey that we should stop hiding problems of waste and find ways to solve them. Although with the little information I found about this ad it could mean something totally different. What do you think this ad represents?
The advertising of Legambiente PIM: under the carpet. Advertising Agency: Forchets, Milan, Italy Executive Creative Director: NiccolBrioschi Creative Director Copy: Francesco Montella Art Director: Livio Grossi Copywriter: Hilija Russo Photographer: Zona 13
The other day I mentioned to check out Two Door Cinema Club but realized that in Playlist-15 it only has two remixes by the band and not the originals. So I decided to do a piece on them so you can check them out and find out what their about. So let's get started.
Two Door Cinema Club is three Irish lads from Bangor, Ireland who have been growing its fan base fast since March when then album "Tourist History" was release by Kitsune in the UK. The bands album is full of dance floor melodic electro pop which sucks you in with it's hooked inspired tracks. The bands states that in the end its going to be a fast paced, electro pop album. That’s their aim their going for. Every song on the album from start to finish is loaded with tremendous amount of hooks that will leave you addicted all day. Alex Trimble’s warm vocals direct the band to pop perfection. The guitars in this album have the angular fury of Tokyo Police Club. The Bass standouts in each track which will have you shaking around like crazy on the dance floor. This album is ranked up high in my top albums of the year and has been playing nonstop all this week. Like I said it becomes addicting with all these catchy songs.
Soon enough the Olympics will be back in 2016 and so Swiss architecture firm RAFAA designed a concept solar power waterfall. It has been named the Solar City Tower, the building is equipped with solar panels, the solar energy to pump seawater to its top, and resulting falling water spins turbines that produce energy during the night. For special occasions, this tower can be transformed into an urban waterfall the designer calls "a symbol for the forces for nature." The firm RAFAA is looking to fill the building with an amphitheater, auditorium, cafeteria and shops. This solar city tower will even include a bungee jumping and a "glass sky walk" on the top of the tower.
RAFAA concept aims to ask how the classic concept of a landmark can be reconsidered. It is less about an expressive, iconic architectural form; rather, it is a return to content and actual, real challenges for the imminent post-oil-era. This project represents a message of a society facing the future; thus, it is the representation of an inner attitude. Our project, standing in the tradition of "a building/city as a machine", shall provide energy both to the city of Rio de Janeiro and its citizens while using natural resources."
Guess what? Summer is here and to heat things up Playlist-15 is out. This playlist has some great bands that are worth checking out their albums. The Roots who just release a new Album How I Got Over is a must album to get. If you want to listen to the whole album you can DefJamRecording is streaming the whole album. Then their is The Radio Dept and Two Door Cinema Club which provide some great indie tracks that can become anthems for your summer 2010. Each of their albums have none stop great tracks from beginning to end. So with all this being said have a listen to the NEW Playlist-15 and have a listen to some good music.
If you want to check out any of the other playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog.
Cover art by: Damion Schweizer
Tracklist
1. 40 Day Dream by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
2. Breakneck Speed by Tokyo Police Club
3. Fireworks by Polock
4. Help I'm Alive (80Kidz Remix) by Metric
5. I feel Better (Adam Smith Bootleg) by Hot Chip
6. Long Distance Call 25 Hours A Day Remix by Phoenix
7. Let's Go Surfing by The Drums
8. Snow In California by The Stills
9. Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix) by Two Door Cinema Club
10 Heavens On Fire by The Radio Dept
11. Right On (Feat. Joanna Newsome and STS) by The Roots
12. Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear
13. Youth by Beach Fossils
14. What You Know (Lights Over LA Club Mix) by Two Door Cinema Club
15. Jah No Dead (Atlantic Connections Remix) by Bachelors of Science
16. Wonderwall (Question Version) by Oasis
