C. and J. Clark Ltd, or probably better known as ‘Clarks‘, are not what you would expect as typical We Heart material… there is no doubting the world famous footwear giant’s history, yet safe and, well, bland, are possibly the nicest words we could attribute to their… erm, style. Accordingly, it was to our surprise that Royal College of Art graduates, Sophie Nielsen and Rolf Knudsen – aka Roso, a multidisciplinary design studio deeply rooted in art, design and architecture – had been commissioned to design an inspirational art installation at Clarks’ Somerset headquarters. Based around the singular concept that “light is only seen when reflected”, Roso’s ‘Light’ explodes dramatically from the building, literally beaming across the space of the communal courtyard – the thousands of shiny discs, that are attached to suspending wires, casting light in each and every direction, creating a sublime vision as the reflect the colours of their surroundings and generate an almost computer generated pixel effect across the open space….
Clarks ‘Light’ Installation by Roso
explosive installation at Clarks' Somerset headquarters....
March 9th, 2010
dunhill A/W10 Installation by Campaign
New York Fashion Week installation for British icon....
March 9th, 2010
Taking over one of the Meatpacking district’s last remaining disused warehouse spaces during the recent New York Fashion Week were iconic British luxury brand dunhill, with a little help from super-talented London based studio, Campaign. Recreating, in a beautifully ghostly manner, Bourdon House – the London home of Alfred Dunhill – Campaign’s unique installation played host to dunhill’s Autumn/Winter 2010 collection in a fascinatingly unique interpretation of London’s buzzing Mayfair. Having recently produced sublime pop-up stores for Dr.Martens and currently collaborating with Christopher Bailey, Creative Director of Burberry, on forthcoming interior concepts, London’s Campaign are carving a name for themselves as the ‘go-to’ agency for the Fashion world’s particularly creative needs… and if this startling installation is anything to go by, we can sure see why.
Built in the early 50s as a headquarters for British soap company Lever Brothers, Park Avenue’s Lever House is a New York landmark of considerable history… recently restored to its former glory, the building is now home to the ‘Lever House Art Collection’ – Damien Hirst’s imposing ‘Virgin Mother’ stands provocatively in the courtyard – and, as of late last year, the popular Sant Ambroeus family’s latest Milanese outpost, Casa Lever. Enjoying a fabulously retro interior that, in itself, tells the tale of former glory restored, this chic and sophisticated restaurant is already feeling the buzz of ‘A-List hangout’ – Mick Jagger is said to have dined here recently, awkwardly sitting opposite Andy Warhol’s portrait of Jerry Hall, his ex-wife. It’s the Warhol’s in fact that truly lift this intriguing space, with Hall accompanied by Hitchcock, Stallone, Dennis Hopper and Aretha Franklin throughout the venue, offering the diner a unique aura of New York eras gone by… and with the sensational Milanese fare delivered by the kitchen, there’s no doubting this venues potential as a hot-spot for years to come…..
Located near the world famous site of Woodstock, 100 miles north of New York City, Ben Ryuki Miyagi’s dramatic renovation of a 1960s home employs what the architect describes as ‘The Landscape of Geometric Mythology’ and was “designed as if a series of mysterious objects from (an) unknown planet have landed on this peaceful landscape with a story to tell”. There’s certainly unique architectural symbolism on show here, with more than a little Asian influence from the Japanese architect, and with additional structures surrounding the villa such as the ‘House of Solitude’, ‘Sky Mirror’, and ‘Tower Gate’, it’s clear that the landscape of the site as a whole is as important to the designer as the home itself. Challenging, unique and, well, frankly more than a little frightening, Villa Metamorphosis is a true one-off – and if you stumbled across this property on a pilgrimage to the famous site of Woodstock, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that acid is responsible for what you see before you….
The obvious restrictions and mundanity of flat pack furniture have been literally smashed apart by London based designer Kenyon Yeh…. Seeking to “create personal identity from ubiquitous uniformity”, Yeh – an industrial design graduate – has, with the help of few additional embellishments, reworked standard IKEA products into the UNIKEA (Unique IKEA) range…. exciting new pieces of abstract furniture that brilliantly challenge conformity.
Virgin Atlantic’s Gatwick Clubhouse
relaxing new luxury lounge for airline's Upper Class passengers....
March 8th, 2010
Passengers lucky enough to be flying from Gatwick on Virgin’s ‘Upper Class’ service have an all new clubhouse from which to while away the pre-flight hours in considerable luxury. Designed by London’s FDArchitecture, along with Virgin Atlantic’s in-house design team, the new Gatwick clubhouse firmly grasps the trend for sustainability and ecological soundness with FSC timber flooring and a stylish Cowshed spa – complete with their 100% natural products. Cutting edge technology, artwork curated by Jotta and iconic furniture from the likes of Fritz Hansen and Eames ensure that the airport experience will never be the same again….
Showing until this weekend – 14th March – at South London Gallery, Michael Landy’s ‘Art Bin‘ does exactly what it says on the tin really, provides a particularly large bin – 600-cubic-metre to be precise – into which artists can dispose of their works…. Famous for having destroyed all of his possessions in the name of art – over 7,000, including his car, birth certificate and VAT records – Landy’s latest work is centered around the concept of failure, and he invites members of the public to submit their creative failures to accompany donations from some of the world’s most prevalent artists – it may indeed be the only time your work is exhibited alongside the likes of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Julian Opie, albeit in a skip. Filling up nicely, and due to be destroyed at the end of the exhibition, this week is the best – and of course last – time to catch this intriguing art statement….
Canteen: Great British Food
London's purveyors of traditional British food release debut book....
March 5th, 2010
Having taken the London restaurant scene by storm in 2005 with their unique blend of traditional, honest ‘home-cooked British grub’ and a strong, contemporary design, Canteen are upping the ante with the launch of their first cookbook. Following their philosophy of great design and honest food, the lovingly produced 224-page hardback is jam packed with beautiful photography, clean, sophisticated design… and of course, ‘proper’ British recipes, that include steak and kidney pie, Arbroath smokies and blackcurrant jelly with ice cream and shortbread. Published by Ebury Press – priced at £16.99 – ‘Canteen: Great British Food‘, with its innovative use of photography and simple, classic recipes, looks set to be one of the ‘must-have’ books of the year, and with the continued growth of the Canteen brand, the resurgence of brilliant, local British cooking looks set to be the foodie success story of the year….
We’re pleased to announce that today’s weekly newsletter giveaway is a copy of Canteen’s sensational and lovingly produced cookbook and that this weeks exclusive recipe is ‘Spicy Mutton Pie’ straight out of the book… don’t receive our bi-weekly newsletter? Register Now….
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A 20-strong female choir decked out in futuristic technicolour capes who sing and scream about drinking and smoking over a post-dubstep clatter... Gaggle are the London based rebel yell we've all been waiting for. Previously mentioned in our midweek newsletter, their debut, 'I Hear Flies', is released today and yes, it's rather brilliant....
We love this cute little illustration from Central Illustration Agency's Chris Brown for Carluccio's
'The Lambeth Palace' is London's "newest, darkest and dirtiest purpose built cinema".... the temporary space set up by street art legend Banksy is showing his new film until March 4th, there's only a very few tickets left, so if you're in town between now and then, we suggest booking them right now....
Independent Dublin based design studio, Superfolk, are launching a new range of products at this week's Stockholm Furniture Fair, that will pay tribute to Irish heritage... whilst remaining desirably modern.
Loving this high quality print from the ever-impressive Scott Hansen... highly limited to 200 pieces so move quick.
Previously only available in German, Berlin’s Innervisions have released a limited English run of Tobias Rapp’s book, ‘Lost and Sound: Berlin, Techno and the Easyjetset’. Investigating the city's love affair with electronic music and the world's descent upon the German capital in search of the ultimate party....
Ether, the Southbank Centre's annual culture-fest of music, art, technology and experimentation is back from 16th - 24th April with the likes of Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio, Broadcast and Gil Scott-Heron... the highlight for us has to be the 23rd where mindfuck genius Chris Cunningham performs a live multimedia extravaganza... expect to be disturbed....
Running from 5th - 13th February at the rather brilliant Darkroom, 'An Exhibitional Orgy of Love Hearts' is a celebration of Saint Valentine's in which a host of creative types have been commissioned to create a piece of work based upon the heart.... All pieces will be for sale for £125, with a portion of the profits going to the Haiti Fund
The latest product from magic industry pioneers, theory11, is this rather tasty set of playing cards that commemorate 125 years of design and development by the US Playing Card Company....
Everyones favourite handmade accessory makers, Hard Graft, are already on the 'case' with an iPad prototype... nearly as fast as these domain name jerks...
Gaggle: ‘I Hear Flies’
Chris Brown for Carluccio’s
Banksy's Cinema
Superfolk
ISO50 'Adrift' Print
Lost and Sound
Ether 10
An Exhibitional Orgy of Love Hearts @ Darkroom
Bicycle 125 Playing Cards
Hard Graft iPad Case
