Friday 29 July 2011

FRIDAY FUN: RUBE GOLDBERG

Rube Goldberg machine vids on YouTube are nothing new (click here if you have no idea what we're talking about), but this one really caught our eye.

The photography theme is a nice touch, but it's the sheer endlessness that's got us baffled. We dread to think how many hours/days/weeks this must have taken to get one good take...

THE SCALE OF THE UNIVERSE


This ought to mess with your brain a bit. The good people at Newgrounds have come up with a frankly amazing interactive animation that, put simply, shows you the scale of the universe. 

Click HERE to play. Warning: may cause feelings of insignificance.

GOOGLE DIRECTIONS


Now this a new Google service we can get behind. From today, London travellers can get public transport directions with Google Maps.

Over a billion people use the capital's 18,000 bus stops & 250+ tube stations every year, so this is bound to attract a lot users. If you were a fan of Google Maps to find your way around town, well now you can also plan your journey from the very same page.

Simply go to Google Maps and click 'Get Directions' in the left-hand panel (as pictured above). This also available on mobile devices, natch. 

Thursday 28 July 2011

VIVIAN GIRLS


If you're in the mood for something retro & girlie then this be the vid for you. Brooklyn-based trio of she-rockers Vivian Girls dish out romantic advice over the telephone in their excellent promo for new single Take It As It Comes directed by Travis Peterson.

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2011


The line-up has just been revealed, and three British films are up for the Golden Lion at the prestigious Venice Film Festival this year.


Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights, Steve McQueen's Shame & Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (which we told you about a while ago) are all in the running. 


Also in the competition are George Clooney, as star & director of The Ides of March (trailer below), Al Pacino (also directing)'s Wilde Salome, Roman Polanski's Carnage, Steven Soderbergh's Contagion and Madonna's W.E.


With no shortage of starry directors & actors involved, all eyes are sure to be on Venice come August 31st. Good luck to all.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCOTLAND REOPENS


Congrats to the National Museum of Scotland! Edinburgh's Victorian National Museum is reopening tomorrow after a three-year, £47.4 million redevelopment.


Sixteen new galleries will be available to the public, but it's the central Grand Gallery that will wow everyone: a four-storey, 18-meter high display of over 800 objects - the UK's single largest museum installation, which includes a life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

DAVID BECKHAM + H&M


Carrying on with our fashion thread, here's further proof that clothes can = big business: David Beckham is launching a line of bodywear (which we can only assume means underwear?). The official announcement for this was actually made back in May, but the big news today is that Mr D has found a retailer for his fancy pants; none other than high-street worldwide supergiant H&M.

Says Beckham, "The final piece in the jigsaw was a retail partner who has the vision and capability to distribute these products globally. In H&M we have found the perfect partner to collaborate with going forward, I'm excited and looking forward to showcasing the range to H&M customers from February"

LOUISE GRAY + ASOS


Emerging British designer Louise Gray has brought her sense of fun and frolicks to online fashion retailer ASOS, with a collection of quirky gold-plated accessories.

ASOS is rapidly becoming the go-to online shop for smart and affordable collaborations (you'll remember their awesome t-shirt collection in conjunction with It's Nice That). We're loving the fries and smiley pendants, buy them + many more right --> here.


THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN


Here's your first look at the trailer for the new Spider-Man reboot coming out next summer in 3D and IMAX 3D, The Amazing Spider-Man:


The film, directed by the appropriately-named Marc Webb, is currently in post production and stars British new(ish)commer Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.

Seems a bit soon to be rebooting the franchise after the fairly recent (and hugely successful) Tobey Maguire trilogy, but this film will focus entirely on Peter Parker as he develops his super powers in high school.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

SONGJIANG HOTEL


Let's end the day near Shanghai, specifically the Songjiang district, where it's just been announced that a 400-bedroom hotel resort will be built inside a 100-meter deep quarry, located in one of China's most popular weekend destinations.

The Songjiang Hotel is designed by the famous firm Atkins and will contain restaurants, cafes, sport facilities, underwater public areas & guestrooms. Waterfalls, underwater aquariums and green areas will be integrated into the design to match the existing nature facing the quarry. Oh, and the hotel will also feature bungee jumping from the main waterfall as one of its activities.

Check out Atkins' plans for the resort, as well as the quarry as it currently stands. 




GOOGLE+


We haven't touched on Google+ yet, largely because we're unsure it brings anything new to the table that Twitter and Facebook haven't already brought, but early figures show we could be very wrong.

The search engine's new social network has attracted over 10 million members in the three weeks since its launch. Facebook currently has 750 million members, while Twitter boasts 300m. At this rate, it's entirely possible that Google+ could eventually rival its more established competitors. 

On the other hand, Google already has over 1 billion users to work with, which is basically the equivalent of 'recruiting in-house', so that might be accountable for that. Time will tell... In the meantime, here's a quick video that explains what Google+ actually is, in case you weren't sure (we're still not convinced). 

BJORK + GONDRY = CRYSTALLINE


Our music vid crush of the day is a special one today - Bjork's just unleashed the first promo from her new album campaign (which we told you all about here). Directed by long-time collaborator, French visual wiz Michel Gondry, here is the video for new single Crystalline:

Monday 25 July 2011

HELMUT'S ART


What do you do when you're a world-famous fashion designer, who's worked tirelessly on countless collections, and you decide one day to quit fashion to become an artist? You repurpose 6,000 of your garments and destroy them for your art.

That's what Helmut Lang did, anyway. The Austrian designer turned artist speaks to Hint Magazine about his drastic decision to give twenty years of beloved sartorial archives a completely different meaning. Head here for the full interview.

The resulting pieces, which are stalactite columns of shredded & tortured cloth, are on display at The Fireplace Project in East Hampton (NY). Check out some shots below and click here for more.




SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN


Here's your first exclusive look at director Rupert Sanders' Snow White and the Huntsman. Starring Twilight's Kristen Stewart in the title role, she is seen here as an armoured, sword-wielding warrior - a far cry from Disney's famous character. 


Here's actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as the huntsman, and Charlize Theron (above) as the evil queen. Oddly, another Snow White film starring Lily Collins is also scheduled for release in cinemas next year... Who will be the fairest of them all?

FAN DI FENDI


Let's take a little look behind-the-scenes of Fendi's ad for their latest fragrance, Fan di Fendi. Three beautiful women dancing around in front of flashing lights won't revolutionise the world of fashion advertising, but why fix a model that isn't broken! (video courtesy of Grazia)


Speaking of models, Fendi have hired three familiar & gorgeous faces for this ad: Anja Rubik, Karmen Perdaru & Abbey Lee Kershaw, all shot by renowned photographer/art director Fabien Baron. The fragrance is already out, the completed ad will hit our screens towards the end of August, but we can show it exclusively here right now:

Friday 22 July 2011

THE DEATH OF YOU AND ME


Today's music vid crush comes from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (for that is their name) and their debut single, The Death Of You And Me. The spot was shot in the Californian desert by Mike Bruce & we like it very much, check it out:

BAD APPLE


China doesn't have the best rep when it comes to respecting intellectual property rights, but this latest instance feels particularly cheeky: a very convincing fake Apple store was found in Kunming City, China. Complete with exact replica branding, merchandising, wooden work stations, & hipster Genius staff - even the store's employees thought it was the real thing.

On closer inspection, blogger BirdAbroad noticed the cracks in this near-perfect rip-off (pictured above) and blew the whistle. Angry customers have since been lining up to get their purchases refunded, and just today, the store was shut down by officials. It's believed this is just one of many fake Apple stores around the world.

HOME-GROWN: MAX & MICHAEL FOR MODESTEP


Our very own Max and Michael strike again with their latest video for UK dubsteppers Modestep. The promo for new single Sunlight sees a trio of unlikely louts wreaking havoc in a seaside town...

With slick production values and their trademark brand of humour at its core, this is Max & Michael at their best - we couldn't be happier with the result.

UPDATE: It would appear YouTube doesn't like our video (below). No matter, see it here instead.

Thursday 21 July 2011

RIP LUCIAN FREUD


One of Britain's greatest painters, Lucian Freud, has sadly passed away at the age of 88. The grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud died in his home in London after a short illness.

Tributes from politicians, art dealers and models have been pouring in since the news broke, including this touching statement from Ed Valzey, Culture minister:

"Lucian Freud was one of the leading representational painters on the international stage, a beacon for those who still believe in the importance of the painted portrait, with a searching visual intelligence that portrays human life in all its variations. In over seven decades of unremitting dedication to his art he provided a body of work which was shown around the world and which drew attention to the great strength of British art in the post-war period. His passing marks the end of an era and he will be sadly missed by everyone who cares about the arts."

BLADE RUNNER POLAROIDS


Check out these awesome polaroids from actress Sean Young from her time spent shooting on Blade Runner. Sean played Rachael, opposite Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard in Ridley Scott's cult 1982 sci-fi  flick. Here she is in & out of wardrobe with the cast and crew. Head here for the full diary.







SPOTIFY GOES STATESIDE


We've banged on about it before, but it's now official: Spotify has launched in the US. The popular online music streaming service has an ever-growing library of tracks (currently over 15 million), which you can manage on your computer & mobile device along with your own music files. It also links up with facebook for various social features. Check out the fun little video they put together to celebrate their stateside launch.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

KILL YOUR DARLINGS


We've got a soft spot for graffiti art at HOME.work, and this is one of our favourites. Sheffield-born urban artist Kid Acne has chosen his home city for his first solo exhibition. Entitled Kill Your Darlings, his work is being displayed at the Millenium Gallery from tomorrow until 23rd of October.


Kill Your Darlings is a motto used by writers to describe the painful process of axing cherished characters or scenes which don't serve their overall story. This exhibit captures that spirit and asks us not to be too precious about art, but to simply revel in the joy of creating it. Here's a trailer for the show:

FOE


It's music vid crush of the day-o'clock! Today's treat comes from wig-wearing ex-child witch FOE's new single Deep Water Heartbreaker. Directed by Entrepreneurs, we are loving the vid's low-fi edge - another classic example of not necessarily needing a budget to create something visually hooking. Plus we love the track too, buy it here.

THE AMERICANS


There's an unsurprising but interesting rise in young artists and photographers using the internet both as a source of inspiration but also as a canvas for their craft. 

We recently told you about Sandro Kopp, the German artist who paints his subjects via Skype. Now meet 24 year-old photography student Petra Stenvall and her ongoing project, The Americans.


Once again via the medium of Skype, London-based Petra travels the breath of the USA from the comfort of her home, directing and shooting her subjects from across the pond through her webcam. Each girl featured in the series was recruited after replying to a casting call and is completely unknown to Stenvall. The computer screen truly becomes the canvas. 

Tuesday 19 July 2011

CLAUDIA'S CASHMERE


Supermodel Claudia Schiffer is the latest celeb to launch her own collection of ready-to-wear. Head to this section of her new website to watch a moody fashion short film, which showcases her Autumn/Winter range of cashmere dresses, cardigans, oversized jumpers and checked smocks.

The e-commerce section of the site launches on August 12th, and if you can't wait that long, the collection will also be available from Net-a-Porter and Harvey Nichols as of next week.