This incredible exhibition gathers outstanding works by Matisse, Picasso, Van Dongen, De Vlaminck, Derain and many other contemporaries of theirs will be seen in a magnificent display from 6 March 2010 to 17 September 2010 at the Hermitage in Amsterdam. These artists are seen as the pioneers of Modernism. From Matisse to Kandinski, the visitor might have a easy approach afterwords.
LA
Christina Aguilera is launching a new album, her 4th, in June called BI-ON-IC. Miss Aguilera says this album will be more futuristic, and the contrary of the previous one called Back to Basics… The first single is called Not Myself Tonight and it really gives the tone of the album. The song was written by Ester Dean, well known american song-writer. She wrote songs for Chris Brown, Rihanna, The Pussy Cat Dolls, M. J. Blige… Here below the new videoclip.
After watching it, I think the song title is very appropriate. There is 2 ways to watch this clip. Either you close your eyes and then you get a Madonna song or you look to the images and then you see Lady Gaga.
Why Christina, Why? Why did you add this Lady Gaga touch on your video? We can see this kind of Glamour soft-porn touch that goes well with Lady Gaga but definetely not with Xtina. We lost all the “dancer-Pop-RnB” attitude here. The song is not bad although we could see some Madonna from the 90’s… Erotica album…. The Girlie Show… Well nothing really new.
I must say I was quite disapointed, especially because I am a big fan of Miss Aguilera. Well, let’s hope the next ones will be better.
What do you think ? Am I wrong? Please, tell me I am wrong…
LA
Do you know Veronica Posada? She is a Chilean Industrial designer. Todays she is running her cabinet from Santiago de Chile and has been working a lot for the past 5 years. Today we can appreciate several collections of objects that bring a new perspective. When we take a close look, we might wonder if this is Design or Contemporary Art. I really liked her collections and here are my preferred.
TAZZOMBRA
The idea here is to transpose object shadow into a second object. As you can see here in this picture, we have a cup and its shadow became a plate. Clever hein?
ORIGAMI HUNTER
We all know the cliché of having Animals heads above the cheminee. But what happens when a modern designer has his eyes on it and try to come up with something new? Well, we get what Veronica Posada called Origami Hunter. As you can see, the main idea is to revisit the traditional animals heads through Origami. And she also brought a use for those objects, in this case they are interior lamps. Very beautiful, almost poetic.
So, if you want to know more about this great Chilien designer, you can visit her website : www.sistudio.cl
LA
This month Uniqlo annouces a collaboration between the brand and the Deyn sisters. We all know super model Agyness Deyn and her punk attitude. She became famous thanks to Jean-Paul Gaultier Catwalks. She was also the egerie of the brand last feminine perfume MaDame. She represents youth, rebellion but glamour and fashion… Is she a punky Kate Moss? You tell me. But did you know she has a young sister called Emily? Only 22 years old but already the owner of her own brand called Hussaindeyn. The young sister is definetely running under her young sister tracks in terms of “attitude”.
The Japanese fashion brand plays the card of top fashion references. First the fabulous agreement with Jil Sander for fashion design. Now they developed this collaboration with the Dean sisters. We can say that Uniqlo is looking for the most cutting edge position in the market.
The Uniqlo collection is a full range of t-shirts and tunics inspired by the punk years in England. Different nostalgic pictures under a polaroid layout brings this “destroy” attitude.
Here a short video about the making off.
“LES FILLES” from Alexander “Waldo” Seiler on Vimeo.
It is not the first time that Agyness Deyn has worked with the Japanese retailer. Last summer, she was the “face” of the brand’s sportswear campaign, alongside Kelly Osbourne’s model-fiancé, Luke Worrall. So we can say it is a success long story then. Available at Uniqlo stores and on the web this month. Check it out at www.uniqlo.com.
LA
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his “Combines” of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations. Rauschenberg was both a painter and a sculptor and the Combines are a combination of both, but he also worked with photography, printmaking, papermaking, and performance. Rauschenberg’s approach was sometimes called “Neo Dadaist,” a label he shared with the painter Jasper Johns. He was quoted as saying that he wanted to work “in the gap between art and life” suggesting he questioned the distinction between art objects and everyday objects, reminiscent of the issues raised by the “Fountain,” by Dada pioneer, Marcel Duchamp. At the same time, Johns’ paintings of numerals, flags, and the like, were reprising Duchamp’s message of the role of the observer in creating art’s meaning. Unfortunately Robert Rauschenberg passed away in 2008. For more information, visit the American Artists website here : http://to.pbs.org/cFI0Xb
This year, the spanish Bilbao Guggenheim Museum presents a retrospective on Rauschenberg work called GLUTS. Basically it is 55 metal sculptures created between 1986 and 1995. Recycling industrial materials represented for the artist a meditation about the capitalism consumerism he experienced in Texas, his home state.
It is until September 12th 2010, a nice visit this summer if you are nearby Bilbao. You might also consult the museum website: www.guggenheim-bilbao.es
LA
Here is a video I found in youtube about a very edgy experience. What happens if you microwave an iPad? Well, you do not need to think a lot, just watch it here below. These guys are from www.microwaveshow.com, nice show budget guys! They are currently selling it on ebay. Can you believe it? Check here to see how much.
Pathetic, crazy, art performance or just shoking? what do you think?
Apple just released the information. After the introduction last friday of its 3G version, iPad gathered a total sales of 1 million units sold in less than one month. This represents far more sales than the iPhone (it took Apple’s phone 3 month to achieve these figures). We all remember iPad launch beginning of April right? Well after the first day, Apple sold 300,000 units, 450,000 after 5 days and half a million by mid-april. We will now see how this works for the 3G version. Models are sold between 629$ to 829$ depending on the specs.
All of this data seems to bode well for Apple. The company will also likely give an iPad sales update at its Worldwide
Developers Conference scheduled in San Francisco in early June, when Apple is also widely expected to introduce its next generation iPhone and an update to its operating system. This is BIG.
I found in Gizmodo a full test of the new 3G iPad, check it here, it might help you to make your choice.
LA
Through parallel fashion and photography competitions, the Festival International de Mode et de Photographie à Hyères, directed by Jean-Pierre Blanc since its creation 20 years ago, gathers every year under the spotlight ten young fashion designers and ten young photographers under the patronage of an international jury.
On the past 20 editions, several great names of todays fashion went through this contest like Viktor&Rolf. The international jury has impressive names like Galliano, Gaultier…
The festival, which has brought designers such as Sandra Backlund and Henrik Vibskov to greater public attention, will celebrate a quarter of a century in existence this year.
Under the presidency of Dries Van Noten, this year the Fashion first prize went to 22 years old fashion designer Alexandra Verschueren thanks to her inspiring collection under the origami theme. A brilliant collection as elegant as original.
Alexandra Verschueren is a belgian young fashion designer. She graduated in 2009 from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. We can say that she is totally in the great track of brilliant belgium fashion style. Contemporary and elegant with a hint of avantgardism originality. In 2007 and 2008 she had a first great experience in Dries Van Noten Backstages. So receiving the price from Mr Van Noten’s hand is a real symbol (let’s remember that he is belgium too). A part from the great reputation that this prize brings you, the winner receives a 15,000 euros grant, the expertise of L’Oréal Professional Hair styling team for future catwalks, a weeklong placement at the Camper Design Studio in Spain and finally Puntoseta proposes to create the winner own customized fabric! Congratulation to this young star.
LA
When a great soul leaves this world, the entire planet is sad. Last saturday, Jean-Louis Dumas left us at the age of 72 years old. He was the charismatic CEO of Hermès since the 70’s and he represented the renewal of the brand. He passed away last saturday from a Parkinsson desease that he has been fighting for a while. Thanks to him, the famous french luxury house bacame on the last decade the most beautiful brand around. Everything that comes from Hermès Ateliers are simply pure poetry. The story of the brand is a magnificient family success novel.
Thierry Hermès first established Hermès as a harness workshop, on the Grands Boulevards quarter of Paris, and dedicated to purveying to European noblemen. His goal was to create the finest wrought harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade. What a goal. The company earned acclaim in 1855, winning first prize in its class at the 1855 Paris Exposition.
Monsieur Hermès won the First Class Medal of the 1867 Exposition Universelle as well. Hermès son, Charles-Emile Hermes took management from his father, and moved the shop in 1880 to a location near the Palais de l’Elysée at 24 Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. 
It is at this location where the new leader introduced saddlery and began retail sales. With the aid of his sons (Adolphe and Émile-Maurice Hermès), the company catered to the elite of Europe, North Africa, Russia, Asia, and the Americas. In 1900, the company offered the haut à courroies bag specially designed so that riders could carry their saddles with them.
Some decenies later, the House of Hermès never were better. It is the golden goose of Luxury.
I see a beautiful parallel between the lost of Mr. Dumas and the poetry of Voyage d’Hermès, the latest perfume. On the advertising, we can see a beautiful wild horse travelling on the water and a white bird following them. This could be a last tribute to the faboulous visionary person Mr. Dumas was. The world lost a great soul.
LA
We could think Apple did a extraordinary breakthrough with the iPod. Then the iMac came and the MacBooks… Then suddenly a strange object named iPhone just become the biggest technological tsunami ever after the invention of internet. How far can Apple go ? Well quite far actually. Nobody remembers the failure of Apple TV (fans will say the contrary but yes guys it was a failure) but Apple always knows how to get around things and their incredible creativity strenght always makes you travel beyond any possible statement. The cool thing about Apple is that they have dreams and these dreams become true. I would say Nokia is the opposite : beautiful dreams that remain dreams that one day perhaps…
Last dream come true at Apple : THE IPAD. Some people love it already and others hate it since the rumors. What should we think ?
First, it is a brillant marketing strategy that makes the usage of the iPad as simple and common as any daily life object. “My granny could use it! But we know this is a niche product right ? How many people read regularly the daily press and books in the world ? A few. How many people read the free online press – more than a few – and electronic books : less than a few. So the iPad represents a micro-niche. But what if we just replace the laptop by an iPad ?
That’s the second point. Steve Jobs presented the iPad saying the net-books are useless, just cheap laptops and that the iPad is
not a computer or an iPhone but a third gender product. We can see on the advertising that this is definitely not true. Everything is done to make you think the iPad could replace your laptop. In a certain way it can but actually this is really a dream that will not become reality. Why ? Try to type for 2 hours on a iPad virtual keyboard. The horizontal place on a table or the uncomfortable typing on ones knees are definitely a barrier. What about multi-tasking. Can I listen to music, talk with someone on skype and read my emails at the same time ? Ok, perhaps I am a little pushy but not so much actually. Or let’s say I want to have my Twitter open and follow up a conversation. Forget it. Files ? What is this word ? The iPad is not a computer, so you do not have any files.
Third, we know some people will be disappointed, so what then? I know that my last sentences are not so optimistic right ? But here is what is cool about the iPad. It brings a different vision of what we call personal computer. What if we forget evetything we know about computers. What if instead of having the old good files on your harddisk, everything is onnline (Mobileme?). What if the iPad will make people read more books ? We need to give more time to the iPad. Revolution is on going. Remember the iPhone : it did not had Copy/paste at the beginning! By the time being, Apple proposes here the most evolved mobile device that gives you the best navigation, Calendar and email consulting ever.
Last, I would say we will have 3 kind of people : the ones who loves it for the “coolness” and basically they will only use 50% of it. The ones who are interested in what this object will evolve, and trust me it will and finally the ones who will be so disappointed that they will get back their old good laptop. And this is fair enough. After less than one month, Apple sold 300,000 iPads, people downloaded more than 1 million apps and more than 250,000 ebooks.
So iPad or iQuit ?
LA
