Within a forest there lives a home

 

 

image from yatzer

 

Amidst the forest, interesting design has found a home. Now this is not your typical home nor is it made with typical materials but it is definitely a place that could not have been conjured up with the faintest of imaginations. Welcome the “Shell” a residence built by Japanese Architect (I know totally predictable b/c its creative) Kotaro Ide of Artehnic, located in Nagano Japan.

image from yatzer

image from yatzer

 

Completed in 2008 this large two- storey structure is the one of the things that is reminiscent of “Where Waldo” it stands out but still manages to create harmony by blending in with the surrounding landscape. A distinction of the spaces within the residence only seems to upgrade its quality; the house will be sheltered from the abuse of nature and in turn uses the environment to its advantage.

image from yatzer

image from yatzer

The vast increase and decrease in temperature makes it a harsh climate. As a result many of the homes in the area are experience gut rot (decay that occurs from underneath a home). Artehnic kept this in mind and built this concrete structure witch float above ground.

image from yatzer

The exterior of the “Shell” (sounds so official) is enclosed in concrete finished with a white sealant that is in direct contrast with its green landscape. Deck wood is used to create the patio, with a full grown tree in its centre.  Double glazed openings allow for unobstructed views of the great outdoors from within.

image from yatzer

image from yatzer

 

The inside of this home is an interior designers dream. Everything is custom made to fit the specifications of the structure. No wall straight and narrow as all curves as it follows the organic nature of the exterior.  Cherry and oak are just some of the woods used throughout the home. The communal spaces have been stationed on the ground floor while the bedrooms are located on the upper level.

image from yatzer

image from yatzer

This is not a new endeavour for Kotaro Ide, nor will it be the last time we hear from someone with his talent. This magical urban lair is worth the walk amongst the trees.  Say hi to a squirll or two maybe a bunny who knows what waits out there, but what I do know is you will find the “Shell”.

This one gets the seal of approval.

MR.

Album Review: Authenticity

image from ilovehiphop

Why are some songs so awesome?  That is a question that sometimes can’t be answered, but when things, yes, things magically fall into place its kismet, and this is where we segue to, The Foreign Exchange.   At the helm of FE, Phonte and Nicolay take R&B from the bottom shelf and place it in plain view, with their third album release Authenticity.  It’s a mood shift rather than a change in genre, leaving your heart vulnerable to the effects of love.

Authenticity, guides you through the ups, downs and the moments in between when dealing with love.  FE concentrates on how rare love is, and shows that when you do find love everything else does not matter.  A quick study of the album showcases  people hungrier for the illusion of the perfect “mmmmmm”(make the sound people) factor, rather than  what is actually in front of them, and dealing with just that. I know it sounding a little soft, maybe to tender for your liking, not to worry, Nicolay throws in some beef, and manages to keep things up tempo.  

Contemplative and darkly honest the duo captures the quality and signature feel from their last album Leave it all behind.  Phonte is no longer a stroke on the page of his album; he is the album, as he serenades us thoroughly allowing the virtue of his writing to shine through. Honest and authentic are perfect descriptive words to lend to FE’s body of work. No airs and leaving all the B.S at the door, Phonte insert himself into the psyche of love. He sits in its nuances, motivations, psychology and in essence the work of a relationship with such stealth, sophistication and more intelligence than  any of the R&B drivel played on most mainstream radio today.

Authenticity just adds to The Foreign Exchange legacy…. I say keep- em- coming!!

Ladies and Gents…. The Foreign Exchange:

M.R

Moods of Vietnam: David Terrazas

image from flickr

Every once in a while happenstance happens and its completely undeniable. In walks David Terrazas. He is a photographer that resides in Madrid, Spain. Unlike my other posts I don’t really have too much information on Terrazas, but what I do know is his photos are magical. 

image from flickr

image from flickr

image from flickr

Finding the drama within his subject, Terrazas ‘Vietnam” portfolio takes an HD approach to portraits….. everything is up close and personal so you’re able to delve in, get smothered with the details of his work. Mainly in black in white, his images are gritty using his master lighting skills his photographs speaks volumes about a culture. 

image from flickr

image from flickr

image from flickr

 Keep a look out for more of David’s work. 

MR.

The XX factor

image from lastfm

Is there such a thing as subdued rock? Well the XX are surely making that their calling card. Their debut album is super subdued and touches on angst an amazing achievement for the band. Guitars and synthesized drum beats serve as the background to singers Romy Madley Croft, and Oliver Sim.  They double up on the vocals and play off of each other enhancing the melodrama understated melodies, with passion just below the surface. 

The Mash-up between the band is shown in segments, slowly whetting the appetite of it listeners for what’s to follow. The sound clash between the two vocalists makes for the albums most compelling singles, including ‘Basic Space’. Crofts voice is light, and has a hint of soul and in contrast to Sim’s dead pan delivery is simplistic but creates just the right mood. 

Keep a look out, the xx are definitely creating a buzz.
 

MR.

Upon a Mountain in Tinos

 

 

 

  

 

image from Y.Kordakis

Sometimes when I wake up I wish I were somewhere else. That seems to be happening most of the time especially when I see a utopia like this slice of heaven in Tinos, Greece. It’s not the biggest kid on the block, but it is the most quaint. Marilyn Katsaris is responsible for the aesthetic that captures the essence of Greece, and is simplicity. 

image from Y.Kordakis

image from Y.Kordakis

Upon a mountain top it sits, a vacation home that is actually two homes in one brought together by a charming veranda(I know your work week is starting to fade away just thinking about it). The views cannot be taken in by a glance, you simply have to sit and stare, and if that’s not reeling you into the beyond, then you’re a tough cookie to sell. The landscaping seems as if it was taken straight from the book ‘The Secret Garden’. 

image from Y.Kordakis

Now for the technical…. the exterior is in line with the rules and balance for an island home. Pigeon whole windows, curved white form of structure and exposed stone formation is an example of typical architecture. 

image from Y.Kardakis

image from Y.Kardakis

The interior is 25sqm of living space. Three storey’s high on one end, and two on the other. The house is completely open and things seem to be meticulously placed as most things are built-in. Only the lucky scavenged pieces of furniture get to adorn this home. Rules…need not apply. it’s designed completely so you can let it all hang out, forget the coasters, the mats, your shoes perfectly lines up at the front, the feel of the house, its essence ,totally captures the vacation vibe. 

image from Y.Kardakis

image from Y.Kardadis

image from Y.Kardakis

image from Y.Kardakis

image from Y.Kardakis

Its open space concept allows you to take note of your surroundings, because it’s all in plain view, meant for all to see. There are no cupboards or draws within the space everything has a home in secret hidden compartments. 

image from Y.Kardakis

image from Y.Kardakis

The key ingredient in this oasis is the colour white, applied throughout the interior exempting the bathrooms. The colours for this “den of solitude” were selected from its natural surroundings. Blue and sand (blue= ocean nearby….I’m in love) were selected for the bathroom. Its main attractions is is exposed rock honing in  on the ease of your….yes I said your(in your dreams) vacation getaway……sigh! 

MR.

Where did all the Gingers go?

 

 

  

 

image from youtube

  

A.  M.I.A killed them. Literally she did in her video “Born Free” the U.K rapper has taken a whole new approach to spreading a political message that speaks volumes. 

|The carnage doesn’t last long as she instills nine minutes of fear, terror and brute force while annihilating the ginger race. This opens up a slew of questions and prickly issues that have been brewing for some time now.  Why ginger’s? why not Asians? why not blacks?Persians? She shows us it doesn’t matter if it ends in genocide. Minority racism exists, art is not mirroring life. Rounding up a particular group and ridding them from the earth staging a movement of controlled genocide is just plain wrong. 

A group of red headed young men arrive, are rounded up, and arrive at their unknown destination, some place in the desert.Without a sense of why, their only commonality  hair colour, they are told to run. Run for their lives though a mine field.  When one of the youngest can’t keep up, and pauses he is shot point-blank in the head. Although thought provoking and visceral on a whole other level, this very scene is what has got people all up in arms (what, children don’t die when a genocide takes place?) 

M.I.A is powerful and thought-provoking, more so than any other popular rapper in our time today. Through the images and topics touched upon in her videos she is trying to open up the channels of communication, and our way of thinking. Whether we like it or not, genocide, segregation, racism does exist, it’s just sad that only when rapper  M.I.A  segregates ginger people as a minority-the same as Asians, Blacks, Jews etc ..have been separated for years, there is an outcry of persecution. We don’t garner the same reaction when right now,  it’s happening around the world. 

Now……presenting the video…… 

http://vimeo.com/11219730 

Happy Watching..MR.

Ode to America

image from yatzer

Many things written on paper don’t take shape until they are visualized in real life. Take for example  1960 black porches with its top off (can you visualize the sex that oozes from that car). Until you see that sexy beast in person you don’t under stand how sexy a car can be….but I digress. Sebatian Errazuriz, a New York based artist has designed a public installation  called, ‘American Kills’ boldly displaying the suicide rates of the American soldiers that have passed in 2009.  After searching the WWW he accidentally found out that 2x more American soldiers died in 2009 by way of suicide than those killed by becoming a casualty of war. 

image from yatzer

image from yatzer

Shocked by his findings…he decided to create. Well….actually first he decided to post his findings on Facebook, but was shocked to find out that no one was particularly interested. He then bought black paint, and painted his finding in the real world, outside of his studio in Brooklyn, New York. Errazuriz climbed up his ladder, and marked a black strip for every dead soldier, until the lines were blurred between suicide, and war and one complete homage was rendered. 

image from yatzer

His comments on the y’s of his own work from an interview he did with yatzer “’the counting of dead soldiers outside my studio was long and surprisingly eerie; it was hard to forget that every brush stroke was a soldier who had died the previous year. a lot of people stopped to read the mural and were immediately impressed by the reality portrayed. Most of them seemed quite shocked and approached me to ask if what I was painting was real. I tried to explain that I simply wished to create a physical image that could capture people’s imagination, creating awareness of the current numbers in death, war and the infinite discrepancy between the resources and energies destined to fight and protect soldiers at war versus the energies invested in protecting their mental health and stability.‘- SR 

War is never pretty…thank god art is. 

MR.

Defiance of Youth: illustrations by Abbey Watkins

image from abbeywatkins

Being young you tend to dream bigger, test more boundaries, and believe that more things are possible. Most have not hit the proverbial wall called adulthood, and are not plagued completely with thinking about mortgages, taxes and putting away money for a rainy day. (Drum roll please) Introducing Abbey Watkins a 21-year-old from Manchester, London whose illustrations are just starting to get noticed in the world that is fashion. Her weapons of choice is mainly pencil, but from time to time dabbles in watercolour to sketch her images. 

image from abbeywatkins

image from abbeywatkins

A third year Textile Design student, Watkins is working on her illustrations and her blog Tobacco and Leather.  Not always the best compositions her work is continuing to evolve, and does have its own signature that in time I’m sure will be something to watch. 

image from abbeywatkins

Take a gander at her blog she post her illustrations and takes you through the process with some of her creations from start to finish. 

image from abbeywatkins

MR.

Works of Art: photos by Paco Peregrin

image from stylebooming

Sometimes when you look at an image you get nothing, nada, zilch, but there are other times when you look at an object, and it completely evokes an emotion you never knew was there. That in itself is a wonderful feeling.  I live for moments like that, good or bad (of course only  this after it’s happened).   This is what I felt when I came across the work of photographer Paco Peregrin. His exaggerated shapes are creative, imaginative while the colours and make up are simply stunning.  They take me into a whole new world of fantasy,  art and drama. They make me see emotion and sometimes search the deep dark places. They project drama and whimsy and capture intense emotion.  They are brilliant! 

image from styleboom

image from styleboom

 

Born in Almeria, Spain he studied Fine Arts at Seville University, Photography in NYC, and finally Central Saint Martins College in London. He takes with him his studies and injects his work with all that he’s learnt exuding elegant, mysterious and disturbing characters that go against the grain. 

image from trendland

 

Peregrins photography seemingly has its own stamp that can be recognized at first glance. His images carry a blend of sensuality along with a splash of avant-garde. They project a feeling only captured in dreams. He combines the latest fashion trends and his own personal concepts and reflects them in his work. 

image from trendland

image from trendland

Peregrin currently resides in Madrid, but his work can be seen worldwide in publications such as Glamour, Vanity Fair and FHM. 

Keep an eye out Ladies n Gents! 

MR.

Not so happy after all

image from dinagoldstein

The opening words Once Upon a Time eludes to a fairy tale of mystery and magic and the inevitable Happily Ever After, but what if happily every after never comes? Photographer Dina Goldstein shows us her take on our beloved Disney fairytale Princesses and generates a brand new wonderment about where would they be and their surroundings, in our day and age. 

image from dinagoldstein

image from dinagoldstein

She fixes each character in a current day scenario that addresses practical outcomes and current issues. Snow White is trapped in a domestic living nightmare, surrounded by a bunch of unkempt children while her prince charming (I use that word loosely) sits chilling in the background not lifting a finger. Or, what about Rapunzel, loosing all of her hair and faced with dealing with cancer, her hair now a wig she adorns. 

image from dinagoldstein

Or Sleeping Beauty, the lead character in her reality show, finally succumbing to public pressure, receiving Botox, and few other procedures. Her face not as angelic as she is remembered, but eerily reminiscent of 1931’s Frankenstein. 

image from dinagoldstein

image from dinagoldstein

image from dinagoldstein

Goldstein’s work entitled Fallen Princesses can be seen from Oct.15-Nov.15 at Bushlen Mowatt Gallery in Vancouver, B.C.