REMINDER: ART FOR HEART'S SAKE

Lovely readers, this is your 7-day warning! You have until Thursday next week to submit your Hipstamatic snaps of hearts into the Art For Heart's Sake competition. 

The top 100 submissions will be printed, framed and auctioned off at a special event in a Central London gallery in the lead up to Valentine's day - and absolutely all of the proceeds will be donated to Kids Company. 

Head here for a full recap on this, and check out some of the brilliant shots already submitted above & below. Excellent stuff.

THE BEST PERSON I KNOW

Here's one for the drawer marked 'Cheap, Cheerful & Lovely' - the brand new vid for Cat's Eyes's latest single, The Best Person I Know.

Renowned artist Ron Arad allowed Cat and her band to use his silicon curtain installation, which was on display at the Roundhouse last summer (but you already know all about that because we blogged about it in August), and we think the resulting promo is an unassuming little gem. Have a ganders:

AT HOME WITH ANOUCK

Let's have a little nosy around Belgian supermodel Anouck Lepere's apartment in Antwerp, shall we? 

Lepere studied architecture and design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, and is one of Louis Vuitton's latest Amble Ambassadors; check out her app here. (pics via Nowness)

REMASTERING THE MASTERS

Make sure you check out Thai-born artist Pakpoom Silaphan's latest show at London's Scream gallery (18th Nov - 7th Jan).

His street-art-inspired work mixes well-known modern & contemporary artists - such as Peter Blake, Salvador Dali & Francis Bacon - with recognisable mega brand logos. The show is a comment on contemporary art having become a commodity, and the artists themselves having become brands. We like.

ART FOR HEART'S SAKE

Keep your eyes peeled for hearts, lovely readers: we have an excellent competition for you. Our very own Simon Elborne has set up Art For Heart's Sake - a social enterprise that raises awareness & donations through creative engagement. 

Teaming up with the ever-popular iPhone app Hipstamatic, Art For Heart's Sake are inviting anyone to spot or create anything heart-shaped, snap it with the Hipstamatic app, and enter the resulting shot into the competition by sending it in (check out our own effort above!). Click here to find out how to enter your picture.

The top 100 submissions will be printed, framed and auctioned off at a special event in a Central London gallery in the lead up to Valentine's Day. The top 3 submissions, chosen by a select committee of artists, designers & creatives, will take home some very excellent prizes. And here's the best bit: absolutely all of the proceeds will go to Kids Company.

The competition launches today and runs until December 15th, so get creative and get snapping. Make sure you stop by Art For Heart's Sake's facebook page, follow them on twitter, and visit their official website for further details.

ALICE + DALI

We've just stumbled upon this incredible set of illustrations from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland by none other than surrealist genius Salvador Dali. 

The limited run was offered to the Random House Book of the Month Club readers in 1969, and yes, the Mad Hatter's tea party includes a picture of a melted clock (4th picture down).

Check out this video below for a full flick through the prints; this is one book we'd definitely like to get our hands on.

FALLING BOOKENDS

Check out these clever bookends from Artori Design. Create your own little action scene by purchasing one here. WANT.

CHRISTINE SUN KIM

We are <3ing photographer & filmmaker Todd Selby's latest film, in which deaf sound artist Christine Sun Kim explains her aesthetic vision. Gorgeous ting. (via nowness)

TURNER + TESTINO

It's just been announced that celeb fashion photographer Mario Testino will present this year's Turner Prize, which will take place at the Baltic gallery in Gateshead next month.

The 5th of December will mark the ceremony's 28th anniversary, and the four artists up for the £25k prize are Karla Black, Martin Boyce, George Shaw and Hilary Lloyd (but you already knew that because we told you all about it yonks ago).

Previous presenters of the prestigious award have been Dennis Hopper, Nick Cave, Miuccia Prada and of course Madge, who ruffled a few feathers in 2001 by swearing a bit. Silly Madge.

STICKS + STONES

This is definitely not a post about Cher Lloyd. It is a post about a fairly cool promotion concept for her new album, whereby a custom-spray-painted billboard located in the heart of East London was created & filmed in this crafty little timelapse video below. (Definitely not about Cher Lloyd).

THE REAL DA VINCI

The National Gallery's curator has recently admitted that their latest Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, which opens on Wednesday 9th November in London, was conceived in part to dispel author Dan Brown's mystical claims in his bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. 

In an attempt to counter the consequences of the book's misrepresentation of one of Western art's most influential artists, Luke Syson states "It was important for us to provide a sensible corrective to Brown's heretical Leonardo. It will be interesting to see whether our interpretation will trigger people's imaginations". (quote source: telegraph) Head here for more info on the exhibit. 

IF YOU LEAVE

Photographer Laurence Von Thomas had a simple idea: launch a photography blog, set an overall theme of peace & solitude, take open submissions from photographers from all over the world, and publish the best shots.

The blog, If You Leave, has been running since 2009 and is a runaway hit. So much so that Von Thomas is now launching his second book of selected works from the site, featuring photographs from over 250 international artists. (Find out where to buy it here)

Very little info is given about the work submitted or the creative minds behind it, which ads a welcome air of intrigue to the project. Check out our selection of excerpts from the book above & below, and make sure to visit the blog regularly for new work.

PUMPKIN ART

We are loving these incredible - and seriously creepy - carved pumpkins by artist Ray Villafane, even if they are sure to put our best Halloween efforts to shame.

HIRST + RANKIN

Brit artist Damien Hirst and Brit photographer Rankin have joined creative forces for a shiny new book & exhibition, both entitled Myths, Monsters and Legends.

Working with model Dani Smith, the work explores their mutual fascination with the ancient world, photographed from a contemporary perspective. Check out some excerpts from the book above & below, and make sure to visit the Annroy Gallery until November 5th 2011 for the full exhibition. 

DEFYING GRAVITY

Chinese artist Li Wei's work is renowned for its ambitious mixture of photography & performance, capturing his subjects in all manner of gravity-defying worlds.

This November, Wei's 11-year career gets the retrospective treatment at the famous Lucca Photo Fest in Italy. Check out some of our favourite shots above & below - pretty incredible, considering the only retouching that ever occurs is the photoshopping of a single wire per image.