The infamous(ly great) Studio Job returns once again with an incredible new show. For 'The Banana Show', the Antwerp- and Amsterdam-based studio of Job Smeets and partner in crime Nynke Tynagel, created a series of lamps - fitting their subversive aesthetic perfectly - shaped like peeled bananas for an exhibition which opened last month in the Belgian Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery. The limited-edition collection of Banana Lamps comprises seven different lights, including five standing models held up in different positions by the curved representations of a banana's peeled skin, as well as a hanging wall light and an oversized version. Each light features a polished bronze skin and an etched mouth-blown glass fruit filled with LED lights. The show also includes the Buoy Mirror, which has a red ring-shaped frame with four white bands and resembles a lifebuoy. The facet-cut mirror features sintered glass and hand-painted banana graphics in keeping with the exhibition's theme. Seven new ink banana drawings on A2 paper in oak frames will be displayed alongside 30 drawings taken from Job Smeets' archive from 1998 to 2005. [ Continue reading ]
We discovered the thrilling work of the Berlin-based Croatian photographer Katja Kremenić through her incredible series ‘Rip Currents‘, after which she has been creating a body of work in her signature romantic free-floating style - both for fashion orientated clients as her personal projects in which she has explored some of the most beautiful beaches of the globe, proving to be an everlasting source of inspiration in her photography. Blending her signature aesthetic in all areas of the work she produces, the photographer excels in translating emotions into her photographs. Making the fragmentations of her unique photographic gaze images which resonate through feelings rather than just the representation. As Kremenić has been such an inspiration for us in the last few years, we asked her about her inspirations. [ Continue reading ]
When in 2012 the young American photographer Grace Ann Leadbeater left the area where she grew up in Florida, she got what she longed for since she first sensed that there was a whole - colder - world out there to be discovered. That doesn't mean Leadbeater is free of nostalgia whenever she stays away too long, sometimes longing for times long gone and left behind, or at least the romanticized abstraction of what once was. And it might just be this emotion which urges her to document it whenever she comes home for holidays or family events, despite the fact of growing more restless with every rendez-vouz. Out of these explorations of her real feelings towards the land she grew up in with her medium format camera and motivated by a combination of nostalgic feelings with a serious portion of feeling unheimlich, she created the beautiful series 'A Mouthful of Sun'. The images with a remarkable color palette show a Florida very different from the eclectic cliche images, reminding us of the unpolished cinema of Gus van Sant and the photography of Estelle Hanani. Finding beauty in the ordinary and even the uncomfortable, always being honest. We love this almost tangible series showing the talent of the photographer, perfectly translating emotion into image. [ Continue reading ]
This week we were introduced to a beautiful new printed project from Singapore conceived by think-tank and studio Foreign Policy Design Group. The super diverse 'Brand Guide: Singapore Edition' rounds up the iconic homegrown brands that attest to the current golden age of design in Singapore. It goes in-depth, featuring the brains behind some of Singapore’s most well-known and well-loved brands, such as Unlisted Collection:, The Lo & Behold Group, Papa Palheta, Ong Shunmugam, GOODSTUPH, DrGL, Supermama, BooksActually, Plain Vanilla and a favorite of ours: Wanderlust Hotel. Doubling as an alternative travel guide for the modern design traveller, 'Brand Guide: Singapore Edition' hopes to share their appreciation for local brands and to inspire that in their readers. The elegant designed work balances visuals and storytelling, making the publication a rich experience giving wonderful insight into the creative culture of Singapore. [ Continue reading ]
Although the 25-year-old talented German artist/designer Simon Freund has been creating similar products under the SIMON&ME moniker, his self-titled brand is completely new to the market after it was launched on the 1st of August 2015. The 20 immaculate objects presented in the collection perfectly reflect Freund's vision on design, functionality and aesthetics. The highly clean cut - limited - staple piece products will appeal to those who love elegant, high quality minimalist style boiled down to its core. Everything under the Simon Freund brand is being produced in Germany, given a stamped certificate of high quality authenticity, just as had been the case with the designer's former brand. We feel very inspired by the vision which clearly lays behind such a cohesive collection, very likely becoming a strong name next to the existing minimalist brands. And therewith also underlining the already high level of the SIMON&ME line, yet now presented by just Simon on the next level. [ Continue reading ]
The New York Times recently named him a 'Digital Tastemaker for Young Men', and although we aren't as young as we were when we discovered him through his inspirational blog 'Words for Young Men', the multitalented New York-based creative Chris Black continues to be one of the people out there we hold in the highest regard for his inspirational vision and output. Before starting his blog 'Words for Young Men', the Atlanta-born was part of the early wave of people creating campaigns for social media, leading the way in a field of practice which has slowly devaluated into a metrics-obsessed monster of mediocrity and boredom, worlds apart from the cutting edge creative thinking that dominated it in the early days. Chris himself has been doing so much more than just social media in recent years, working through his creative agency named Done To Death Projects. Next to a focus on strategy and creative direction for clients, he does whatever he feels like: from publishing books and zines with different highly talented young photographers to putting out t-shirts. With Chris being such an inspiration for us, we asked him some questions on what inspires him in life. [ Continue reading ]
Although we feel that slowly our saturation point has been reached when it comes to new independent magazines, every once in a while an interesting new name still arrives. The London-based No Substance - an indie magazine with a focus on fashion, photography, and culture - which was founded this year by the young London College of Fashion graduate Becca Deakins is one of those names. The 180-page debut edition recycles the same idea over and over, imploring readers to delve deep into the lives lived outside the ordinary. It features the likes of Rankin, Toilet Paper Magazine, Eva Stenram, Donald Gjoka, Marco Pietracupa, Maurizio Bo, Rita Lino, Scandebergs, Masha Mel and Becca herself. With a strong focus on fashion, photography and culture No Substance is directed at an audience which is able to find style within substance, despite its moniker. We really like this first issue which stands out in the ever-growing field of new magazines and look forward where Deakins will take her promising project. [ Continue reading ]
